Godzilla: The Age of Monsters
by Omegazed
Summary: In 1954, the appearance of the first Godzilla heralded the beginning of the Age of Monsters. After decades of struggle, humanity is recovering during a period of peace from the last major monster attack, the entire world readied for whatever creature may attack. When the threat is from the depths of space however, the Earth is placed in the greatest peril since life began.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Godzilla, or anything else in this story short of a bunch of puny humans. Godzilla is owned by Toho Co., Ltd.

* * *

_When Man seeks power, he faces nature. When he seeks to rule the world, the world finds means to put man in his place. When he rises up against nature, creating great monuments to his power, nature breaks them, with hurricane and earthquake and flood. When Man grows in numbers beyond counting, nature sends plague, disease, infection. When man conquers the land, nature ceases sustaining his food, starving him. Even as he attempts to escape nature, it grips him, creating violence over its resources, causing conflict, hatred. _

_War._

_Man is ever in the grip of nature. He can never escape it. And when man seeks to rule nature, with science and intellect, when he seeks to control reality, he is brought to face it. When man seeks power, he faces that power._

_And nature is not kind._

In the year 1954, nuclear experiments gave rise to horrid consequences. With the American atomic tests at the Bikini Atoll in 1 of that year, the beginning of a new age in the history of the world began. The island of Odo became the birthplace of a legend, for on November 3, 1954, a nightmare beyond anything humanity thought possible emerged from the ocean, and showed humanity the horrible folly of uncontrolled power used without thought for consequence.

The following days were ones of living hell for those that survived them, or a swift and brutal death for those that did not. The island was attacked several times, the 1st being the destruction of a small fishing boat. No survivors. Another boat was sent to investigate, meeting a similar end, though not with complete casualties.

Several days later, during a large storm, the first true attack came, resulting in heavy damage to the native population of the island. When an investigative party arrived the next day, the true nightmare began. A massive creature, named Gojira(later called Godzilla by American reporter Steve Martin who was sent to investigate the aftermath of the "G Incident") rampaged over the island, before making its way into the Tokyo Bay, before entering the city proper.

The following 2 days of devastation is considered the worst disaster since the end of WWII, with casualties exceeding 6,300(exact numbers unknown), with property damages well in excess of $370 million, including military expenditures and casualties. Military attempts proved entirely futile, with over 200 personal lost, tanks, planes, and artillery all being useless, and an attempt at using hastily constructed electrical towers to bypass its extreme durability failing as well. Fires burned for days, recordings from individuals who had braved the destruction were broadcast nationwide, and a number of services were held to help deal with the emotion chaos prevalent in the aftermath.

A relatively famous scientist, one Daisuke Serizawa, emerged with a weapon capable of killing the creature, named the Oxygen Destroyer(information in relevant file), and it was quickly deployed while Gojira was resting after the attacks in the Tokyo Bay. The device was successfully deployed, but Dr Serizawa chose to remain underwater, killing him along with Gojira. Along with the previous destruction of his notes the day before, Serizawa's death resulted in the loss of all information pertaining to the creation of the Oxygen Destroyer.

Information on the later reemergence of the Oxygen Destroyer in the form of the monster codenamed Destoroyah by the Japanese Government is available in the relevant file.

The nation of Japan celebrated the destruction of the menace, swearing to take a stance against unregulated nuclear experiments of all forms for the future.

This marks the beginning of what many call The Age of Monsters(1954-present) and the first recorded appearance of a giant monster, though later events revealed a presence of such creatures since at least 65 million BCE, with evidence pointing to significantly older specimens of the Mothra family having existed.

The following year, on April 24, 1955, the 2nd of the Godzilla species emerged, along with the creature designated as the first in the Anguirus species. This event is covered in the relevant file.

xxxx

Professor Himura closed the file, logging off of his personal terminal in the JSDF central headquarters. It was mandatory to review the all of the G Files before beginning work in the Anti Kaiju Research Division, even though actually being granted entrance into the division required many years of study into daikaiju histories and behaviors, the G Files being the most common and simplified of such information. Himura didn't consider them anywhere close to essential, the Ghidorah Reports or The Histories of the Giant Monster being far more comprehensive and informative, but understood procedure was necessary, especially when dealing with such delicate and dangerous situations as he was going to be required to from this point onward.

Sighing, he stood up from the table, looking over the many pictures that were present all over the walls of this room. Destruction, chaos, impossible happenings, all of which stood strong on histories memory. Pictures of countless monster incidents, dating back to the very first in 1954. he gazed at one in particular, one that was present in damn near every history book in the world today. A black and white snapshot from an army photographer, of a 50 meter tall creature, grey-skinned, almost humanoid, standing in the middle of a field of artillery that were all pointed up at it. The very first photo of the very first time that the word daikaiju became more than simply a word for movies or comic books.

The very first picture of the King of the Monster.

Godzilla.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not, nor have I ever, owned Godzilla or any other monster franchise. Godzilla is property of **Toho Co., Ltd.**

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Professor Himura pulled himself away from the terminal, having finally reviewed the last of the G files, a process that had taken all night. He wasn't exactly a stranger to all-nighters, but was now assured that the file review was some sort of test rather than instruction, a way of weeding out those with short fuses or sleep problems.

_Or maybe this is a hazing_. he thought, yawning loudly and rubbing his eyes. _All of the actually interesting or useful details were restricted._

Sighing/yawning, he clicked the log out, and headed down to the Science Division's mess hall for a quick breakfast. The walk was only a few minutes, and when he arrived he saw a few other scientists, most looking equally tired as he was. There were a few exceptions, buzzing about and talking excitedly, utterly at odds with the majority of the obviously new recruits.

_Probably established members of the division_, he mused. _or else they figured the reports were a wast of time and actually got a good nights rest._

Shrugging, he went to collect his food, noticing that it had a surprisingly good multicultural collection, and picked up some rice, some fish, and for the hell of it, what looked to be a half-pound waffle. After grabbing a cup of coffee to help wake up, he moved to sit at an empty table. Not that he wasn't sociable, but he just wanted to shovel this down before orientation started. The others thankfully left him alone, all pretty much feeling like he did, the excited ones all off at their own table chatting away.

After all of 5 minutes of devouring his rations, a bell sounded over the intercom. Sighing, he picked himself up, tossed what was left in the trash, and headed for the hallway to the orientation room that all of the others were pouring into. He noticed one scientist was asleep, and their colleague was trying to shake them awake, finally resorting to a cup of hot tea being poured on their head. He was already in the hallway by when the indignant shouting started, and couldn't restrain a small chuckle.

Well, this won't be entirely boring at least.

The herd of geniuses shuffled into the large presentation room, rather hilariously underutilized for this, easily 200 seats filled with at most 30 individuals. Taking a seat near the front, Himura sat and waited to see what would happen. At the sound of grumbling slowly growing louder, he looked back to see three people walking down to the front row he was at, one of them scowling and looking like he'd just come out of a shower.

"Remind me to get you back for this." The lanky man spoke to his colleague, trying to use a napkin to get the coffee out of his hair.

"Next time, take my advice and have a cup, so I won't have to pour it on your head." He said with a smirk, roughly equal in size to the other, but with noticeably blond hair, standing out rather well in a room of mostly Japanese.

"Come on you Suzaku, would you have rather slept through this?" Their third, a rather tall woman with short hair, spoke with an air of exasperation.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Thanks Dolph." He spoke, resigned for the moment.

"No problem, now how about he find ourselves some seats before this starts?"

_A 3-man band already?_ Himura thought, stifling another chuckle. _Oh, this_ is _going to be interesting._

Deciding it would be better to have a group like this than more people like himself to work with, he waved them over, moving another seat over to fit the three in. Nodding, the man named Dolph led the other two down, seating himself next to Himura, the others just beyond him.

"Thank you friend." Ha said, hand extended in greeting. "Dolph Weiss, a pleasure."

"Himura Musashi, same." Himura said, looking at the slightly taller man with what he hoped was a winning smile, trying not to yawn.

"And this is Miyamoto Suzaku, and Emily Eriksson, my friends and colleagues."

"Greetings." The woman, Emily, spoke, smiling brightly.

"Indeed, greetings." Suzaku spoke, a bit gruffly, but still clearly focused on making sure his hair was clean.

Before he could think of something to say, the door on the other side of the hall opened, and out came a small procession of soldiers. They marched into the room, taking place on either side of the podium in the center, 7 on each side.

_Seems a bit much for just an orientation._ Himura thought to himself, noting the slight enhancements on the soldiers that revealed them as the latest mutant troops. As they finished getting into formation, the room fell silent, and a small clacking sound could be heard coming from the doorway the troops had poured in from. It was another 30 seconds or so before the source of the sound revealed itself.

A man, easily in in 60's, slowly trudged into the hall, leaning on a walking cane, which Himura noted with a bit of shock, appeared to have a katana sheathed in it. A large brown coat covered his body, and thick boots thumped as he walked, showing that despite his age, the old man was anything but weak. A few medals hung from the front of his coat, and what appeared to be a large tooth or claw of some sort hung from a cord around his neck. The receding hairline was matched by a rather impressive dark grey mustache, equally think eyebrows arched in what seemed to be a perpetual scowl. As he finally reached the podium, the old man turned to regard the room of scientists, sharp eyes locking with each and every one of them.

Himura just stared in awe, having recognized the man immediately. The single most legendary soldier who had ever existed in the JSDF, a man who had been in and out of retirement 6 times, been court martialed twice, had a funeral where he was buried with full military honors only to be found alive later on, had over 15 confirmed kaiju kills to his name, with an additional 8 rumored. The man who had saved the earth on at least 3 separate occasions. The man who had faced down Godzilla himself armed only with a katana, and lived to tell the tale.

Grunting loudly, the man slammed his hands into the podium, the entire room freezing instantly, all eyes locked on him. Nodding, the man pointed a thumb to his heart, and spoke in the gruff voice of a man who's been fighting for a long damn time.

"Welcome to orientation for the Science Division of the J.S.D.F. My name is Admiral Douglas M. Gordon, and I'm here to tell you just what you're in for."

xxxx

The room was silent, all eyes on the legendary Admiral Gordon, who searched around the room at everyone, smirking at the stunned faces. Picking up a small remote, he pointed back at the wall behind him and pressed a button, and the entire wall lit up with a display, dozens of images of various famous monsters throughout history. Anguiras, Rodan, Mothra, Gigan, Mechagodzilla, Baragon, and of course...

"Godzilla. King of the Monsters. The Bane of Japan. The nastiest lizard to ever live. The reason this division exists in the first place." Gordon said, pointing at the massive image the filled the center of the screen, a huge black creature in the middle of a burning city. "As I'm sure most of you are aware, there's never been a single Godzilla. After the first one was killed, a second popped up in less than a year. Since then, there've been at least four other Godzilla's, with a couple monsters being damn close to one. I'm sure, as always, most of you think this division exists to kill Godzilla. You'd be wrong."

A light murmur filled the room. Apparently, a few people were put off by this. Himura wasn't, he was too busy looking at the center image. Many considered the title the Americans had given Gojira, Godzilla, to be a silly title that was a little cartoonish. The name that had subsequently become the worldwide name outside of Japan. God Lizard, like something out of a movie or comic book. Himura, having seen exactly what the King of the Monsters could do in person, found it frighteningly appropriate. Smirking, Gordan pressed another button, switching the images out for a good dozen new ones, all of Godzilla. Or rather, Godzillas.

"G zero one, nineteen fifty four. G zero two, nineteen fifty five. G zero three, nineteen eighty four. G zero five, nineteen ninety three. G zero six, nineteen ninety nine. At least six confirmed individual creatures all of the class, species, whatever, of Godzilla. To this day, three of these creatures have been confirmed killed. Two have vanished. One remains on Monster Island. Now, to reiterate my point, we're _not_ here to kill Godzilla. That damn reptile has saved the Earth more times than we can count, has has personally saved my ass a few times. Killing him's a dumb idea, and we'd just be screwing ourselves over if we tried. Anyone who's here to do that, get out, because you're wasting your time."

A few moments of silence past, and despite a few glares, no one leaves. Gordon just smirked.

"Good. Now, the reason you're here is to kill other monsters." He says, pushing another button, switching to a slide of several of the greatest nightmares in human history. "Gigan. Megalon. The first Mechagodzilla. Spacegodzilla. Destroyah. Names that strike fear into the hearts of grown men everywhere. All threats in their day. All unstoppable by human means. All killed by Godzillas. Dozens of other monsters have threatened the world over the years, most stopped, a fair deal killed, a couple just up and vanished, some have come over to humanity's side. Each of you will be assigned to a different part of the division, each working on stopping, trapping, rerouting, or outright killing a different kind of monster. But the one reason you're all here, is this."

Another button, and the screen is covered in gold. The entire room seems to get a little bit brighter. One person throws up, another screams, and everyone else scowls in hatred or fear. Himura just stares, frozen in terror, looking into a dozen faces of his worst nightmares. To his right, he can tell Dolph, Suzaku, and Emily are all experiencing similar bouts of emotion.

"The only other monster graced with the dubious title of king. The King of Terror, the Three-Headed monster, Monster Zero. King Ghidorah. Ghidorah have been attacking the Earth for a damn long time, evidence pointing back millions of years. Some think it's what killed the dinosaurs. But over the past sixty years or so, attacks by the golden bastard have been numerous, horrible, and costly. And there's been more than one of 'em."

Some of the crown stir even more, others become even more grim, and Himura starts sweating. This was something he'd hoped he wouldn't have to deal with too soon. Even going over the sparse G files, he'd wanted to skip over the sections pertaining to the Ghidorah attacks.

"There've been more Ghidorah as there's been Godzilla, at least six different individuals confirmed, with another two or three unconfirmed." Gordan points back at the screen, moving left to right, pointing at each of the three-headed monsters in turn. "GH one, nineteen sixty four. GH two, nineteen ninety six. GH two point five, nineteen ninety one. GH three, nineteen ninety eight. GH four, two thousand one. GH five, two thousand four. GH six, two thousand fifteen. Four confirmed dead, one confirmed trapped, one escaped. _This_, ladies and gentleman, is why you're here. For monsters like this. In case one of these bastards shows up again, or worse. Welcome to the JSDF people. Dismissed."

So, next chapter, which should set the tone a bit more than the 1st chapter did. It will only be a little while before things really kick off, so don't worry about waiting too long for some monster fighting goodness.

* * *

Now, Q&A thing, which is just one for now.

godzillafan1: "seems like a good story will a new Godzilla appear in this story?"

Technically, no, but the Godzilla that does show up won't be quite like what you might expect.

That's it for now. The chapters will mostly be pretty short, but should hopefully make up for it in volume.


	3. Chapter 3

Himura stood slowly, rising with all of the others, who began shuffling out the door, mumbling to themselves about the end of the presentation. A team of soldiers escorted the scientist who vomited to the infirmary. Dolf, Suzaku, and Emily all rose, already talking with each other, Suzaku now seeming highly focused in comparison to his early mood. Dolf turned to look at him, motioning him to join them.

"Thanks, but I have something to do first." Himura said, walking towards the center of the room, where stood Gordon. The Admiral looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"You need something, kid?" The old man said, seeming suitably relaxed after scaring the scientists half to death. Never one to be put off by any human, Himura straightened slightly, and looked Gordon straight in the eyes.

"Just something I wanted to ask. Sir."

Gordon smirked, gesturing him to carry on.

"Why would they have a decorated man like you, a legendary fighter, do a presentation for a group of new scientists?"

"Ah, well that's simple." Gordon said, moving around the podium, gesturing Himura to follow him as he headed for the door. "It's like you said, I'm a fighter, and I've been fighting for a damn long time. Been at this since I was eighteen, stationed aboard the first Gotengo under Captain Jinguji. Since that time, I've understood something a lot of military personal fail to when it comes to giant monsters."

Walking out into the hall, the soldiers pouring out after them and heading off to their respective stations, Gordon trudged off in the opposite direction. Himura followed, rather eager to hear this. Gordon remained silent for a while, simply walking down the hallway, past a few doors, before finally entering into a large hall featuring dozens of displays of the various anti-kaiju weapons that had been developed over the years.

"Humans can't fight giant monsters with tanks and plains, least not ordinary ones. If we want to fight, we need things like these." He said, pointing to a display of the project from the 80s and 90s, the Super X anti-Godzilla flyers. "These machines have been the only things that've allowed humans to fight on as even a ground as possible against the monsters, and as time's gone on, they've gotten closer to evenly combating the ones that are out for our blood."

He kept walking, seemingly not at all hindered at the walking cane would indicate, and gestured to still more machines. Models of various maser tanks, the Garuda MG-02-02, the Karyu, the M.O.G.U.E.R.A.

"Despite all the propaganda, the showboating, the big displays, it's not soldiers that win against monsters, it's these things. And soldiers aren't the ones making them. You eggheads are the ones building the things that allow people like me to make a name for themselves, to fight back."

Turning to face Himura, Gordon's eyes glowed with an old war spirit, and Himura couldn't help but take pride in the mans gaze.

"_That's_ why I was the one making that little speech. Not because there's not someone more qualified, not to send a message by having an old "hero" like me showing up, and not even to scare the piss outta you kids." He said with a grin, Himura giving a nervous chuckle at that. "No, it's because I understand how important you all are, and I want to show my gratitude. I'm too old to keep fighting, going on eighty five next year, and even with modern medicine, that's damn old. So I'm making sure you youngsters get your shit in gear and can head into battle spitting fire and pissing lightning at anything that seeks to do dear old mother Earth the slightest bit of harm, get me?"

Himura stopped, looking at the man who had been a childhood hero in Japan for over 30 years, who had been a living symbol of hope for the entire world since 2004, and who's name, even today, inspired respect in anyone who spoke it. He saw before him a man who had been doing what he wanted to do since before his parents were born, and was still around to tell the tale. Himura stood straight, and saluted Admiral Gordon, a smile on his face.

"I promise to not let you down sir! I promise to give them hell, even if I have to do it in a lab a hundred meters underground!" he said in what he hoped was a strong voice.

Gordon just grinned, looking him straight in the eye. "What's your name, kid?"

"Himura, sir. Himura Musashi."

"Musashi. Nice name. Best of luck. You're gonna need it."

With that, Gordon turned, and walked out the far door, leaving Himura to gaze around with pride at the power mankind had created.

xxxx

Still buzzing from Gordon's words, Himura made his way back down the halls to where the other scientists were. He noticed Dolph waving him over, and decided he might as well make himself some allies. Taking a seat next to Dolph, Suzaku and Emily on the other side of the table, giving his most winning smile.

"Ah, Musashi, welcome, we were just discussing the "Orientation" speech." Dolph said with a chuckle, the familiarity striking Himura as very western.

"Yes, welcome." Said Emily, smiling.

"What they said." Spoke Suzaku, looking over some notes.

"Yes, Weiss, Eriksson, Miyamoto." Himura said, taking a quick glance at the notes, blinking at what appeared to be a diagram of a 40m spider. "So, what's the story of you three? You obviously know each other."

"Ah, yes." Dolph said, grinning in a way that made Himura think that he'd been waiting for someone to ask. "We're actually all members of the Giant Monster Preservation Organization. Our organizations goal to is preserve all of the non-violent or containable giant monsters as we can, in order to preserve all of their unique existences. We wanted to make more of a difference than a non-profit organization, so the three of us signed up for the JSDF, so we could put into action more non-lethal measures against monsters, along with improving what already exists on Monster Island, maybe even expanding the program to multiple islands. We're not just some hopeful idealists either, we're already in talks with America's HEAT to put in place some of our ideas, and share information on the monsters in the America-French managed Monster Island A-F."

A bit startled by such an emotive proclamation of preserving giant monsters, Himura was torn between frowning and smiling. He settled on the later. "Well, no one can say you're not enthusiastic about your, um, project. Do you think the JSDF will actually put your measures in place, assuming you get to the point where they'd actually take you seriously?"

"Of course we do." Suzaku spoke forcefully, standing up with his hands on the table, clearly annoyed by the implied failure of their plan. "We've already spoken to several officials in the JSDF already, along with representatives from the Serizawa Institute, members from both the GPN and the CCI, and we've even had several meetings with the Japanese Prime Minister. Believe me when I say, our goal is far from some childish fantasy."

Shocked from such a heated response, Himura just sat there dumbly as Suzaku glared at him, until a hand on his shoulder turned his gaze aside.

"That's enough Suzaku. I'm sure Himura didn't mean anything against us. It's understandable to be doubtful about an organization like ours. You can't exactly say they've had the best success in the past." Emily spoke, her eyes comforting but firm.

A few moments passed, but Suzaku finally sighed, sitting down and turning back to his notes, taking a sip of tea. "Sorry, he gets like that." Emily said, starting Himura a little when he realized she was talking to him. "Mr. Miyamoto is very passionate about his organization, he's just not the most political individual when it comes to uninformed slights at his dream, intentional or otherwise."

"Wait, _his_ organization? As in, Miyamoto is the founder?" Himura said, a little shocked, looking at Suzaku in a slightly new light.

"Yes. He founded the GMPO six years ago, and has been slowly building support for the past four, making astounding progress. We estimate that, in no more than five years, we'll be able to put our various non-lethal measures into action in no less than seven countries, with funding from over twelve separate monster related organizations." She said, speaking with full confidence.

"We wouldn't mind more members in the JSDF, of course." Dolph spoke, staring intently at Himura, a light smile on his face. "What do you say? You have to admit, it's not a bad sales pitch." He finished with a chuckle.

Himura sat for a moment, gazing at each of the, in turn. He had to admit, they made a fair argument for the success of their plan. Still...

"Sorry, but I'll have to decline." Himura said, frowning slightly. "Not that you don't seem like you'll be successful or anything like that, but I'm not on board with your goal itself."

Suzaku turned to look at him, glaring heatedly. "And why is that? You don't believe that some monsters don't deserve to be saved?"

"It's not that. I do believe some deserve to live. But that doesn't mean I'm hear to help them. I'm here to fight, and I can't do that if I'm spending my time on something like this. Sorry, but no."

Suzaku stood, clearly ready to go off on him, but another hand from Emily stopped him, shaking her head. "It's alright, we understand. If you change your mind, we're always welcoming members, and if not, than we can't exactly blame you. The JSDF does exist to _defend_, after all." She finished, a smile on her face, though clearly not all happy.

"Thank you for understanding, Eriksson." Himura said, sighing. "Still, I wouldn't mind hearing a bit more. If that's okay." He said, looking at Suzaku.

"...Fine. You'll see things our way." The leader spoke, spreading his diagram for Himura to see better. "First off, let's start with this. It's an arachnoid-class capture unit...

xxxx

That night, Himura trudged his way back to his room, all the excitement of the day having worn off, and now feeling even more tired than he had that morning. His quarters were good enough, a fairly large room with a queen-sized bed, a large desk off to one side for any projects, and a small closet. The western influence in the accommodations were appreciated. He didn't even bother changing out of his lab coat, just collapsing onto the mattress and passing out within a few minutes.

.

_The sun was high in the sky, few clouds in sight, a pleasant breeze. Everyone was out doing their business, the children playing out in the parks, couples relaxing on benches happily, and Himura stared up at the sky, smiling. It was such a good day. He closed his eyes for only a few minutes, lost in happy thoughts._

_He heard screams, and his eyes shot open, looking around to find the source. Everyone, everyone was screaming. What was going on? He looking about everywhere, noticing that everything seemed brighter than before. He was about to call out for his parents when he finally noticed it. Floating in the sky above the city, bright light shining off its silver scales. Two beautiful wings suspended it in the air, like sheets of fine silk suspended between long needles. Two legs like thick tree trunks hung from its almost segmented body, impressive talons hanging lazily. Two long, sinuous tails swept back and forth, flowing like silver rivers into an explosion of long spikes like a dozen spear-heads. An on top of it all, three immense necks raised into the clouds, upon which sat three regal heads, each with a crown of horns that made it seem like some sort of deity or royalty. He was stunned by how beautiful it looked, like a dragon from heaven. How could anyone run from something like that?_

_It opened its three mouths, and a cackling song filled the air, brilliant silver streams of lightning forming in its mouth. The majesty of it shattered in an instant, giving way to sheer horror at the mad joy present in its call. The beams of energy spilled forth, tearing into the buildings, exploding them into showers of wood and metal and dust. People running along the sidewalks or in the street were flung into the air, screams turned silent as their bodies were reduced to silvery glowing ash. It flapped its wings, and a wind like a hurricane tore loose, sending entire buildings flying, the humans caught in the gale reduced to red smears on the flying chunks of concrete and trees._

_Jets sailed overhead, unleashing missiles one the silver demon. They exploded on its immaculate scales, fireballs erupting across its hide, shrouding it from view in a volley of death. Silver beams lanced from the clouds, tearing the aircraft from the skies, turning into images of their own missiles in an instant. The smoke was blown away, revealing the creature unharmed. Bolts of blue energy flew up from streets beyond vision, maser turrets placed in the event of just such an attack striking out to defend their home, only to be silenced by pinpoint blasts of the monsters breath. It cackled, the sound mixing with that of the raging fires that were filling the air with black smoke, through which the beast still glowed._

_Himura fell back. His mouth was open, he might have been trying to scream. Tears were running down his face from the smoke and fumes. Something else was running down his face, warmer than tears. It pooled in his mouth and he spat it out, looking down to see what it was. Huh, it looked like blood._

_A tremor ran through the ground, no, through the air, and he looked up in time to see a giant of metal crash down in front of the demon, unleashing its own metallic roar, missiles and maser cannons unloading on the monster. It just cackled, and flapped its wings again, blowing the missiles back on their launcher, and blasting the land with a wicked gale. Himura saw a neighborhood where some of his friends lived torn apart, blasted into the air. He had just enough time to open his mouth again, a cry of some sort lost in the blasting maelstrom, before the flying debris caught him bodily, and he blacked out._

_.  
_

He woke in a sweat, panting hard, head swinging around to see something that wasn't there. He looked down at his shaking hands, vision blurred, and closed his eyes. He didn't sleep again until it was almost morning, when exhaustion finally gave him dreamless blackness.

I had meant to upload this tomorrow, but didn't realize I hadn't actually uploaded chapter 2 a few days ago like I'd planned. So consider this a bonus for the day.


	4. Timeline

Note, all info within this timeline happens before the story, so it's basically no spoilers, and only very slightly plot revelant. It will let everyone know what's already happened, and give the observant an idea on what's to come.

Also, outside of the primary Godzilla movies, dates are subject to change to better fit the timeline. So if something doesn't match up to cannon, that's why.

JSDF Database: Timeline of Giant Monster Events

**250,000,000** **BCE**: Permian Extinction.

**130,000,000 BCE**: Mothra travels back to this point to kill "Grand" Ghidorah.

**65,000,000 BCE**: Desghidorah attacks Earth, is stopped by first confirmed Mothra. Millennian ship crash lands on Earth. Mass extinction event.

**10,000 BCE**: Gigan 02 appears on Earth.

**8,000 BCE**: Legend of Orochi. 8-headed monster engages in battle with Japanese deity, and is killed. Exact events unsure.

**1932**  
October 22: Carl Denham's expedition for Skull Island leaves the New York Harbor aboard the SS _Venture_. An unrecorded amount of time passes between having left the harbor and arriving at the Island, as all recording equipment and calendars are lost when the ship crashes into the rocks.

An unknown amount of time passes on the island.

**1933**  
January 8: The SS _Venture_ returns to New York, carrying King Kong.

March 2: King Kong unveiled to the public. King Kong manages to escape, rampaging through the city. Ann Darrow is taken by the beast to the Empire State Building.  
March 3: King Kong is killed by a team of 6 biplanes, 3 are destroyed. Its body is taken to a military compound for study.

**1935**  
June 14: Project Legacy is begun. The project seeks to fully study all aspects of Skull Island.

**1936**  
June 18: 2nd venture by Project Legacy. An earthquake sinks one part of the island, killing five team members. The geological fragility of the Island is confirmed.

**1944**  
February 5: Japanese team on Lagos Island are saved from American troops by a dinosaur later classified Godzillasaurus. Godzillasaurus is heavily injured killing the troops, while the Japanese escape, believing it to be dead.

**1945**  
April 8: Nazi Germany acquires the heart of Frankenstein monster.  
April 22: Heart is shipped to Japan. The heart is studied at Hiroshima Laboratories.

August 6: Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. FM heart is lost.

**1948**  
June 12: Jack Driscoll(see Denham Venture) returns to the island with on one of the last expeditions.

August 3: A massive earthquake hits the island. Jack Driscoll is saved by a white member of the Kong species, which he dubs the "Son of Kong." Skull Island is lost.

**1954**  
March 1: Castle Bravo nuclear experiments take place at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Lagos Island is completely destroyed. This event is considered the triggering event for the events that followed.

November 3: G Incident 01 begins. 1st Godzilla emerges in the ocean off of Odo island. Fishing boat _Eiko-Maru _is destroyed, no survivors.

November 5:_ Bingo-Maru_ sent to investigate the _Eiko-Maru's_ disappearance, and is also lost. Additional ship sent out is also reporters arrive on Odo Island, and are informed of the local legend of Gojira, a mythical sea monster that feeds on humans. A storm arrives in the night, along with Godzilla, who causes a large amount of destruction.

November 6: Survivors of the attack are taken by helicopter to the Diet Building in Tokyo, where they report what happened. Dr. Kyohei Yamane, Paleontologist, requests a team be sent to investigate. Godzilla's footsteps are found, containing large amounts of radioactivity. A trilobite is found in one of them. Godzilla reemerges, wading through the town, and vanishes into the ocean. Dr Yamane discovers Strontium-90 in the footprints.

November 7: Dr Yamane presents this information, along with a hypothesis as to Godzilla's origins, to a gathering of officials in the Diet Building.

November 8: Godzilla's presence is revealed to the public. A fleet is launched in an attempt to kill Godzilla. That night, Godzilla emerges in the Tokyo Bay, before vanishing again.

November 9: News of this appearance sparks nationwide panic. Officials question Dr Yamane on methods to kill Godzilla, who attempts to dissuade such attempts, on the grounds that Godzilla should be studied. Dr Daisuke Serizawa reveals his invention, the Oxygen Destroyer, to his fiance, Emiko Yamane. Godzilla attacks out of Tokyo Bay, heads into Tokyo City, and after 83 minutes, returns to the ocean.

November 10: Military efforts, including Project G 01-2, are put into place for the next Godzilla attack. Civilians are evacuated from the city, and sent into shelters. At night, Godzilla emerges. All military resistance proves futile. 47% of Tokyo City is destroyed.

November 11: Emiko Yamane & Lt Hideto Ogata confront Dr Serizawa in an attempt to convince him to use the Oxygen Destroyer against Godzilla. Broadcasts of the damage, as well as supportive messages, 6 programs of various messages in regards to the events, and a national broadcast featuring a performance by the Japanese Youth Quire. Serizawa agrees, destroying his research material.

November 12: Operation Oxygen Destroyer is put into action. Deployment of the device is successful. Serizawa remains in the area of the device, committing suicide to ensure the destruction of all knowledge of his invention. Godzilla 01 dies.

**1955**  
April 24-28: G Incident 02. 2nd Godzilla emerges, along with the 1st Anguirus. Investigations made into the history of the species. Heavy damages made to the Osaka coastline. Godzilla-02 kills Anguiras-o1. Military efforts are made to disable Godzilla, and it is buried in an iceberg.

May 12: Boy found at Hiroshima ruins, devouring local wildlife.  
May 20: American scientist Dr. James Bowen hears of the boy, and travels to Japan.

**1956**  
May 8: Dr Bowen locates child in Akita wildness. Child is taken to a lab to be studied.

December 26-January 5: Rodan Incident. Kitamatsu village attacked by species of giant insect identified as Meganulon, resulting in a number of deaths over a series of several days. Rodan emerges from an egg, devouring the Meganulon. Fighter out of Kyushu Airbase destroyed by Rodan. Rodan appears over China and the Philippines. JSDF called in. Theories as to Rodan's origin made. Rodan appears, is engaged by JASDF forces, leading to heavy damage in Fukuoka. 2nd Rodan appears, resulting in the near total destruction of the city. Thousands confirmed dead. Rodan engaged at Mt. Aso. 1st Rodan killed after falling into lava, 2nd Rodan follows it, both confirmed dead.

**1957**  
January 7: First international meeting convened on possible future monster attacks, and measures of dealing with them.

1958  
September 17: Child dubbed subject Frankenstein by laboratory staff due to mutating appearance.

October 14-17: Varan Incident. Scientific team near Kitakami River attacked by Varan. 2 members killed. 2nd team sent by "20th Century Mysteries Solved" film company. Kitakami village destroyed by Varan. JSDF mobilized. Efforts ineffective. Varan retreats to the ocean. Continued JSDF efforts, including battleships, deployed. Efforts ineffective. Varan makes towards Tokyo. Continued efforts ineffective. Special plan is made, Varan swallowing several bombs lit to attract it. Varan retreats to the ocean as the bombs detonate within it. Declared dead.

**1959**  
June 20: Construction begins on anti-kaiju Project Atragon.

**1961**  
June 10: Rolisican atomic tests on Infant Island.

July 30: Mothra Incident 01. _Daini-Gen'you-Maru _shipwrecks on Infant Island. Rescue party arrives to find 4 survivors. News report on event. Joint Japanese–Rolisican scientific expedition to Infant Island. Shobijin encountered. Nelson captures the Shobijin. Mothra awakens on Infant Island in larval form, heading for Japan. JSDF efforts prove ineffective. Mothra arrives at Tokyo Tower, forming a cocoon. Nelson retreats to New Kirk City in Rolisica with the Shobijin. Mothra hatches, and follows the Shobijin, attacking the city. Nelson is killed by police after resisting arrest, the Shobijin are freed. Shobijin given to Mothra, who returns to Infant Island.

August 1: Oil factory in Akita is attacked.  
August 28: Subject Frankenstein escapes from lab in Akita.  
August 30: Subject F arrives at Mount Ibuki.

September 2-15: SF Incident. Monster Baragon 01 goes on a rampage throughout Akita Prefecture. Subject F blamed for these attacks. Military deploy to Mt. Ibuki. Subject F engages Baragon, seemingly killing it. Subject F falls into fissure created during the battle, and is presumed lost.

October 16: Dr. Paul Stewart discovers a mutated child near Mt. Ibuki.

December 5: The child escapes from Stewart's facility.

**1962**  
August 11-28: G Incident 03. American submarine _Seahawk _crashes into the iceberg containing Godzilla, freeing it and being destroyed. Godzilla attacks an Arctic military base. Giant octopus appears on Faro Island, and is engaged by a giant ape(later designated King Kong 02. ) and is driven back into the ocean. Kong is taken by Pacific Pharmaceuticals agents. Godzilla attacks Japan. JSDF forces attempt to return Kong to Faro Island, but it breaks free and heads to shore. Kong engages Godzilla, but it forced to retreat. Attempts are made to force Godzilla back, successfully doing so with a 1,000,000 volt tower array. Godzilla retreats to Mt. Fuji. Kong returns, breaking through the array and feasting on the electricity. Kong attacks Tokyo, but is disabled. Kong is transported by balloons to Mt. Fuji, where it engages Godzilla. Kong is defeated, but revived by a lightning storm. Atami castle is destroyed as the battle travels to the coast. Both monsters fall into the ocean, with Kong emerging, before swimming away.  
Information on how Kong arrived on Faro Island, along with its ability to absorb electricity, are covered in the Kong Files 4 & 5. The vanishing and later reappearance by Kong is covered in Kong File 8.

December 4: Project Atragon finishes with the completion of Gotengo.

**1963**  
Unknown-August 11: Matango Incident. Exact nature of event unkown. Thought to have been going on for at least 3 months before island destruction, possibly years. At least 6 individuals lost + unkown number of natives. 1 survivor escapes, but succumbs on the ship back to the mainland, revealing the threat. His body is burned. A military team arrives to investigate, encountering the infection. The team retreats. The Gotengo is called in to destroy the island.

December 22-30: Mu Incursion. The Mu Empire makes demands that the Gotengo be dismantled, or they will attack the surface. Base containing Gotengo attacked by Mu agents. Gotengo deployed under Captain Jinjuji. Douglas Gordon is on board. Mu attacks Tokyo, destroying 87% of naval forces and taking several dozen prisoners. Gotengo attacks Mu, engaging the monster Manda. Manda is frozen, vanishing into the ocean depths. Gotengo pierces the wall of Mu, retrieving the prisoners and destroying the cities core, resulting in its destruction. The Gotengo receives heavy damage from the explosion, and is temporarily decommissioned for repairs.

**1964**  
April 29-May 4: G-M Incident 01. Following a typhoon, a large egg is found washed up on the Chubu coast near Nagoya. Happy Enterprises attempts to take possession of the egg. 2nd Shobijin appearance. Godzilla 02 appears out of Kurada Beach, attacking Nagoya. Godzilla attempts to attack the egg, but is engaged by Mothra. Godzilla kills Mothra. The egg hatches into 2 larva, M-larvae 02 and 03. The Mothra follow Godzilla to Iwa Island, trapping him in silk, which sinks into the sea. The Mothra return home.

August 11-18: Dogora Incident: Alien lifeform arrives in Earth orbit, destroying several satellites. Dogora lifeform begins feeding on carbon sources, primarily large stores of diamond and coal. JSDF deploy to defend coal plants. Defenses scatter Dogora over several miles, each piece attempting to grow into a complete creature. Discovery made of organisms weakness to insect venom. Canisters and mobile towers deploy clouds of gathered venom, reducing organisms to crystalline state. All remains gathered and taken to JSDF labs for study.

December 20-January 14: Ghidorah Incident 01. A meteor crashes in the Tokyo countryside. Rodan emerges from Aso crater(which one is unknown, most likely 02) and vanishes over the ocean. Godzilla attacks a cargo ship and vanishes. Godzilla and Rodan appear at Tokyo, and engage in battle. Ghidorah emerges from the meteor and begins destroying everything in its path. The JSDF ask the Shobijin to call Mothra to aid against the monsters. Mothra attempts to gain the aid of Godzilla and Rodan; both refuse. Mothra engages Ghidorah, and is defeated. Godzilla and Rodan join Mothra. The monsters are initially outmatched, eventually using coordinated maneuvers to defeat Ghidorah. Ghidorah retreats into space. Mothra returns to infant Island, Godzilla and Rodan head into the ocean.

**1965**  
January 20: Monster Island plan put forth to JSDF.

June 2: Object found in orbit behind Saturn. Officially called Rhea, dubbed Planet X by news teams.  
June 5: Plans made for American-Japanese space exploration mission, Pluto-1, to investigate Planet X.

November 28: Repairs on Gotengo completed.

December 19-29: Ghidorah Incident 02. Pluto-1 mission begins, piloted by Alexander Glenn and Harato Fuji. P-1 arrives at Planet X, and encounters alien race, Xiliens. Ghidorah appears, seeming to attack the Xiliens. The Xiliens request that they be allowed to capture Godzilla and Rodan for use in fighting Ghidorah in exchange for a miracle drug; the request is granted. Xiliens capture Godzilla and Rodan, transporting them to Planet X. Xiliens command earths unconditional surrender, or all 3 monsters will be loosed. The 3 are loosed, rampaging throughout Japan. Glenn and Fuji manage to discover the Xilien weakness of a special sound wave, disabling the alien fleet and freeing the monsters from their control. Godzilla and Rodan engage Ghidorah, all 3 falling into the ocean; Ghidorah emerges and flees into space, Godzilla and Rodan vanish.

**1966**  
January 2: P-2 project. Glenn and Fuji returned to Planet Xilia in an attempt to establish negotiations.  
January 14: Peaceful relations established with the Xilians.

April 4: Xilians give JSDF maser schematics as a reparation for the attack.  
April 29: Maser Tank project begun.

July 8: First maser tanks are constructed.

July 31-August 12: F-Incident, "Gargatuas." Giant octopus attacks fisherman near Osaka coast, is killed by green monster Gaira, which then attacks the boat itself. The fisherman is recovered. Another boat is attacked, a monster is reported in the Japanese Alps. Gotengo ordered to patrol the waters near Osaka. Gaira attacks Osaka (International) Airport, retreating at dawn. Gaira attacks Tokyo, and is engaged by the JSDF. Maser tanks deployed, succeeding where conventional weapons fail. Sanda appears and carries Gaira to safety. Sanda attacks Gaira. Gaira escapes towards Tokyo. Sanda attacks Gaira, the monsters eventually arriving in Tokyo Bay. JSDF helicopters bomb the monsters, opening an underwater volcano; both monsters fall into the volcano and presumed dead.

October 6: Earth-Xilien kaiju studies begun.

December 17-19: G Incident 04, "Red Bamboo." Terrorist organization Red Bamboo kidnaps Infant Island natives. Red Bamboo already possesses 2 monster, Ebirah and a giant condor. Godzilla awakens and fights the Red Bamboo forces. Mothra flies from Infant Isalnd to the RB island. JSDF forces track Mothra to the island, deploying Gotengo to investigate. Godzilla attacks Mothra, who escapes. The island is destroyed by a self destruct mechanism. Gotengo arrives to destroy remaining Red Bamboo forces, capturing all survivors.  
December 21: Chemicals used to control Ebirah movements found. All samples are taken to the JSDF labs. Plans for using the chemicals at Monster Island begun.

**1967**  
January 8: Ebirah located in Pacific Ocean. Captured by Gotengo and transported to JSDF facility "Cage."

July 22-August 5: Kong Incident, "Hu." Dr. Hu creates Mechani-Kong for harvesting rare elements in North Pole. UN submarine wrecks on Mondo Island. The crew is attacked by Gorosaurus and a giant snake, saved both times by Kong. The submarine returns to America and informs the UN. Kong is captured by Dr. Hu. The submarine returns to study the island; the crew is kidnapped by Hu's forces. Kong escapes, Dr. Hu pursues with M-K. Kong arrives at Tokyo, JSDF forces deploy. JSDF forces stopped by members of crew, M-K attacks Kong. M-K climbs Tokyo Tower, Kong pursues. M-K falls from Tokyo Tower and is destroyed. Kong destroys Dr. Hu's ship, before returning to Mondo Island.  
August 20: Science team sent to Mondo Island to study local wildlife.

December 6: Kong vanishes from Mondo Island, reportedly in the direction of Africa. All attempts to locate Kong fail.

December 16: G Incident 05, "Sollgel/Minilla." Science team working on weather control at Sollgel Island attacked by Kamacuras. Giant egg found, hatching into Minilla-o1. Godzilla arrives on the island, killing several Kamacuras and adopting Minilla. Science team attack by Kamacuras, Minilla engages. Kumonga traps Minilla, killing the Kamacuras. Godzilla attacks Kumonga, which retreats. Weather control activated, causing a snow storm on the island. Gotengo deployed to patrol ocean around the Island in case any monsters attempt to leave.  
December 24: Team sent to investigate island locates a Kamacuras and the Kumonga hibernated.

**1968**  
February 8: Appearance of Anguiras 02. Confronts Godzilla, and after a short battle, they appear to become friends.

August 1: Monster Island completed in Ogasawara Islands. Kumonga, Kamacuras, Gorosaurus, Ebirah, and giant condor relocated to Monster Island.

**1969**  
May 23: Godzilla and Angruiras lured to Monster Island.

December 20: "All Monsters Attack!" released in Japan. The 1st pro-kaiju media created in Japan. Reception decent. Average reviews. Film considered the beginning of pro-kaiju movement.

**1970**  
June 15: Space probe _Helios 7 _lost on mission to planet Xilia, boarded by entity Yog.

August 1-4: Yog Incident. Nature photographers arrive on Selga Island; attacked by Yog-mutated cuttlefish Gezora. Gezora killed by detonation of WWII munitions bunker. Yog mutates stone crab into Ganimes, which attacks nearby islands. Ganimes destroyed during 4th attack. Yog mutates another Ganimes and a turtle into Kamoebas. Selga volcano erupts, killing both creatures and Yog.

August 20: Gotenga sent to investigate island. Nothing found.

September 20: Baragon discovered near Mt. Myoko. JSDF teams unable to determine if it is the same individual from 1961. Gotengo captures and transports to Monster Island.

**1971**  
January 20: Goro Ibuki begins work on Jet Jaguar and Zone Fighter projects.

July 2-24: G Incident 06, "Hedorah". Space organism arrives on earth, feeding on pollution. Several people attacked insist that Godzilla is the only hope against it. Hedorah moves over land, and is attacked by Godzilla. Gotengo deployed to destroy Hedorah, forcing it back onto land. Hedorah mutates the ability to fly. Godzilla attampts to engage, but is overwhelmed. Electrodes deployed against Hedorah. Combined with Godzilla, Hedorah is destroyed. Pro-Godzilla movements intensify.

July 28: Hedorah samples recovered, alien nature discovered. Investigations into increased alien activity begin. Theories linking Hedorah, Dogora, and Yog begin.

**1972**  
March 1-6: G/Gh Incident 07/03, "Nebulans". Alien survivors land on earth, making a base in failing amusement park World Children's Land. Anguiras makes towards Tokyo; is driven off by JSDF. Ghidorah and cyborg monster Gigan attack Tokyo. Anguiras returns with Godzilla; they engage the Nebulan monsters. Nebulans use powerful laser in Godzilla Tower attraction to injure Godzilla. Gengo Otaka redirects the laser to fire on Gigan, allowing Anguiras to assist Godzilla against Ghidorah. Space monsters forced into retreat. Godzilla and Anguiras return to Monster Island.

March 18: Investigations into alien races ability to control monsters begun.

December 19: Skeleton of Kong discovered in Ethiopia by Dr. Lorna Jenkins.

**1973**  
March 1: Jet Jaguar completed.

March 17-27: G Incident 08, "Seatopians". Underground civilization Seatopia launches attack on Japan. Megalon unleashed on Tokyo while a Seatopian team is sent to steal Jet Jaguar. JSDF forces fail against Megalon. Jet Jaguar regained by Ibuki; sent to get Godzilla to aid against Megalon. Nebulan forces appear and send Gigan to aid Megalon. Godzilla & Jet Jaguar engage Megalon & Gigan, forcing their retreat. JSDF and Jet Jaguar assault Seatopian underground city. Jet Jaguar destroyed in engagement, Megalon buried in the collapsed city.

April 2-September 24: Zone Fighter completed by Ibuki; given to his brother Rokuro, who later gives it to his friend Hikaru Sakimori. Alien race Garoga arrives in orbit over earth. 28 monster attacks take place, Zone Fighter appearing to fight them. Godzilla arrives on numerous occasions to aid Zone Fighter. Remaining Nebulan forces aid Garoga in final battle, unleashing both Ghidorah and Gigan. Gigan killed by Zone Fighter, who then destroys Nebulan mothership. Ghidorah destroys remaining Garoga ship for unknown reasons before retreating. Zone Fighter device suffers critical damage in the battle, and is lost. Sakimori recruited into JSDF.

**1974**  
March 21-24: G Incident 09, "Mechagodzilla-01." Apelike aliens arrive on earth. King Caesar statue in Okinawa. Mechagodzilla disguised as Godzilla emerges from Mt. Fuji, and proceeds to attack the countryside. Anguiras emerges from underground and attacks "Godzilla" and is defeated. Fake Godzilla makes its way to Okinawa bay, and is engaged by Godzilla, revealing it as a machine. Godzilla is defeated, but inflicts enough damage to force Mechagodzilla to retreat. Mechagodzilla deployed to attack King Caesar. Godzilla arrives to aid King Caesar, displaying previously unknown electromagnetic ability to disable the machine. Mechagodzilla destroyed, King Caesar returns to its rest, and Godzilla retreats into the ocean.

April 2: Science team deployed to study King Caesar. Studies show its structure dates back roughly 10,000 years.

April 28: Russian nuclear submarine sinks in Bering Sea. Believed to be the event that resulted in Godzilla 03.

June 20: Studies of Godzilla 02 cells leads to Xilien creation of "King" longevity formula.

**1975**  
March 15-22: G Incident 10, "Mechagodzilla-02." Interpol team sent to locate M-Godzilla remains, attacked by Titanosaurus. Team discovers professor Shinzo Mafune aiding the remnants of the Simians in rebuilding MG-01. Titanosaurus attacks Yokosuka, attempts to exploit its weakness to sonic waves fail. Godzilla arrives and engages Titanosaurus and defeats it. MG-01.5 and Titanosaurus attack Yokosuk; Godzilla arrives to engage them. Interpol team destroys the aliens control, and Godzilla destroys their escape craft. MG-01.5 destroyed, and Godzilla defeats Titanosaurus.

March 24: Critically injured Titanosaurus taken to Monster Island.

July 8: Manda discovered in Atlantic Ocean. Gotengo deployed and successfully captures Manda. Manda transported to Monster Island.

December 12: "King" given to Earth for distribution. Average human life expectancy increases by ~13 years.

**1977**  
December 28-january 15: Mysterian Invasion. Robot Moguera attacks villages around Mt. Fuji. JSDF forces attack Moguera near Koyama Bridge, but fail to do any damage. Moguera is destroyed when it attempts to cross the bridge, which is detonated. Mysterian ship emerges from underground near Mt. Fuji. Demands made for a plot on earth and humans subjects for genetic experiments. UN forces deployed along with several experimental craft. Mysterian forces destroyed, and remaining aliens retreat to Mars.

**1978**  
May 23: Operation Destroy All Monster. Remnants of Mysterians, Nebulans, Simians, Seatopians, and unknown alien race come together in Kilaakian Alliance. Communications with Monster Island lost. Gotengo deployed to investigate. Alliance discovered, demanding earth surrender or face annihilation. Monsters deployed across the globe. Earth-Xilian vessel XSY-3 deployed to moon to infiltrate KA monster control base. Monster put under control of UN forces, which then attack KA forces at Mt. Fuji. King Ghidorah arrives under KA control to engage monster under UN control. All monster fight together and kill Ghidorah. KA forces attempt final attack on mothership _Fire Dragon_, which is destroyed by XSY-3. All monsters returned to Monster Island. Ghidorah corpse sent to Xilia for study.

September 4: Gotengo deployed to assist in worldwide monster appearances; placed under the command of Douglas M. Gordon.

September 8-September 5, 1981: American TV program _Godzilla(Power Hour)_ airs. Proves relatively popular.

**1979**  
August 23: Godzilla 02 vanishes from Monster Island, along with Minilla-01, Gorosaurus, Anguiras, Rodan, and Baragon.

**1980**  
May 8: Studies of Ghidorah cells leads to Xilien creation of "Kaiser" physical enhancement formula.

June 8: Dr. Jenkins vanishes.

October 8: Hedorah found reconstituting at Mt. Fuji. JSDF team successfully contains it. Hedorah placed in cold storage.

**1981**  
May 8: "Kaiser" formula given to earth scientists.  
May 14: Mutant Soldier Program begun.

December 3: Gotengo decommissioned due to damages received.

**1982**  
February 20: Super X program begun.

**1984**  
July 4: Super X 1 completed.

December 15-28: G Incident 11. Fishing vessel attacked by mutated sea lice, only 1 survivor. Godzilla 03 discovered, information initially kept secret due to concerns that Japans national hero monster had returned to its original nature. Godzilla 03 attacks a Soviet submarine, sparking an international incident. Japan reveals Godzilla 03 presence and JSDF forces are deployed. Godzilla attacks Japanese nuclear plant. Sonic lure used to remove Godzilla to the coast. Godzilla attacks Tokyo Bay. JSDF forces deploy, including Super X I. Super X I disables Godzilla with anti-nuclear cadmium missiles. Accidental Soviet nuclear missile is launched, and although it is shot down by American forces, the resulting electrical storm revives Godzilla. Godzilla destroys the Super X, and sonic signals used to lure Godzilla to Mt. Mihara. Godzilla falls into the volcano.

December 31: Genetic samples of Godzilla stolen from US paramilitary team. Terrorist bombing kills Dr. Genshiro Shiragami's daughter.

**1985**  
January 8: UN council convenes to determine actions against new Godzilla. JSDF forces put forth evidence that it is not G-02, but a new mutation. Super X II green-lit.

**1986**  
January 2: "Kaiser" 02 formula discovered.  
January 4: Renegade team of Xilien scientists steals K02, escape planet on sphere-vessel _Xoloriad_. Message sent to Earth.  
January 8: Contact with Xilia lost.  
January 23: Ship sent to investigate planet Xilia discovers it to have completely vanished.

**1989**  
December 16-24: G Incident 12. Dr. Shiragami creates ANEB and Biollante. JSDF receives anonymous letter stating bombs will release G-03 if ANEB is not given to them(American genetic research group Bio-Major). Agent of group killed and Godzilla is released. Biollante becomes active, sending signals to Godzilla. Super X II deployed. Godzilla overpowers Super X II, forcing a retreat. Godzilla arrives at Biollante, which attacks, seemingly killed by Godzilla. Super X II and ANEB deployed against Godzilla, the Super X II being lost. Secondary plan to superheat Godzilla so ANEB will take effect initiated, but fails. Biollante reemerges, heavilly mutated, and engages Godzilla. Godzilla seems to kill Biollante, her spores ascending into space. Godzilla recovers from ANEB, and Biollante cells orbit the Earth.

**1990**  
March 8: Biollante cells disintegrate in orbit.

April 28: Super X III greenlit.

**1991**  
December 14-18: G/Gh Incident 13/4. Alien faction Futurians arrive on earth seeking the destruction of Godzilla, stating they are from the future. JSDF deployed to assist. Combined with Futurian ship, results in the apparent death of Godzilla. JSDF deployment destroyed when the Futurians unleash the cyberfied remains of Ghidorah. Attempts to revive Godzilla to assist results in further mutation. Godzilla makes his way to Japan and engages MechaGhidorah. Futurian ship destroyed in battle. MechaGhidorah transports Godzilla into the ocean, where it is destroyed.  
December 22: Analysis of Futurian craft shows it to be of Xilian design. Analysis of "Futurians" reveals Xilian biology, with severe mutations to the brain. Mutations believed to have caused dementia and insanity.

**1992**  
January 6: UNGCC founded to combat Godzilla 03. MechaGhidorah remains recovered. Project MG-02 started. Super X III repurposed for support craft _Garuda_.

December 12-20: G Incident 14, "Mothra/Battra." Meteor discovered heading for earth, new Mothra egg discovered on Infant Island, guarded by Cosmos. The Cosmos tell of the civilization in the ancient past(believed to be original Shobijin civilization) that caused the earth to create Battra. Battra attacks Osaka. The egg is taken for safekeeping, but the boat is attacked by Godzilla. Mothra hatches and attacks Godzilla. Battra arrives and aids Mothra. Motha escapes, Godzilla and Battra vanish in the ocean. Mothra arrives in Japan, transforming. Godzilla emerges from Mt. Fuji. Battra arrives in Japan, transformed. Mothra and Battra attack Godzilla. Mothra and Battra triumph, transporting Godzilla to the ocean. Godzilla kills Battra, and vanishes into the water. Mothra leaves to intercept a meteor bound for earth.

**1993**  
December 11-30: G Incident 15, Operation MG-02. Monster egg found on Adona Island. Egg gives off telepathic signal, attracting Godzilla and Rodan. Rodan attacks Godzilla and is critically injured, team that discovered the egg takes it to Kyoto Biological Research Institute. Egg hatches into Godzilla 04. Godzilla follows and Mechagodzilla is deployed. MG-02 malfunctions due to damages and is defeated. Egg is shielded from Godzilla, who destroys 23% of Kyoto before retreating. Examinations of baby Godzilla reveal presence of second brain. MG-02 equipped with anti-G "G-Crusher" weapon. Rodan revives in a mutated state gained from Godzilla's radiation, and arrives to aid Godzilla in recovering the baby. Rodan is engaged by MG-02 and mortally wounded, Godzilla shows up shortly afterwards and fights to defend the fallen Rodan. Garuda deployed to enhance MG-02, which successfully destroys Godzilla's secondary brain. Rodan sacrifices its remaining life force to revive Godzilla. First demonstration of ultra-mutation "Spiral Ray" in Godzilla 03, resulting in the complete destruction of MG-02.

**1994**  
January 4: Studies of Adona Island reveal dead cells of Godzilla 02 present at the nest where the egg was found. Theory put forth that Rodan attacked the new Godzilla to protect the egg of his old ally.  
January 7: 2nd egg found on island. Egg discovered to contain Rodan DNA. Transported to Monster Island.

January 9: Godzilla 03 and 04 arrive on Birth Island.

March 8: Remains of MG-02 used to begin construction on M.O.G.U.E.R.A. project. Remains of Garuda used to create Star Fighter secondary Moguera unit. Project T initiated.

July 9: Remains of creature "Orochi" excavated in Nara Prefecture in Japan. Remains transported to JSDF research facility on Monster Island. Remains discovered to be missing 1/3 of abdomen and location for 2 or 3 heads.

December 10-13: G Incident 16, "SpaceGodzilla." Signal detected in space approaching earth. Project T deployed against Godzilla, but fails. Moguera deployed to investigate space signal and is attacked by SpaceGodzilla, forcing its return to earth. SpaceGodzilla attacks Birth Island, kidnapping Godzilla 04. Godzilla 03 follows. SpaceGodzilla arrives in Fukuoka and begins initiating a spacial anomaly that converts normal matter into a crystal, transforming Fukuoka Tower into a power converter to absorb energy from Earth's core. Godzilla arrives and engages SpaceGodzilla. Moguera deployed to aid Godzilla. Moguera and Godzilla destroy SpaceGodzilla's crystals, sapping its power. Moguera is destroyed. Godzilla exhibits "Spiral Ray" and destroys SpaceGodzilla. Godzilla 03 and 04 return to Birth Island.

**1995**  
January 4: Moguera remains recovered and used to complete non-lethal Super X III. Leftover parts are used to restore the Gotengo.

August 16: Oxygen Destroyer formula recreated in JSDF lab in Tokyo.

December 9-20: G Incident 17, "Destoroyah." Birth Island is destroyed in a massive nuclear pulse. Godzilla appears at Hong Kong critically mutated, attacking the city before retreating. Kenichi Yamane discovers critical overload of competing energies within Godzilla as a result of both Rodan and SpaceGodzilla's radiations. Super X III deployed to halt growing temperature levels in Godzilla. Oxygen Destroyer formula mutates organisms that had developed in original Oxygen Destroyer zone. Destoroyah creatures continue to mutate and overwhelm JSDF troops deployed to exterminate them. Godzilla 03 and 04 lured to Japan in an effort to both kill Destoroyah and prevent 03's meltdown. 04 appears to kill Destoroyah. Destoroyah mutates a final time, killing 04. 03 attacks Destoroyah with increasing levels of power, and the Super X III and supporting AZ tanks kill Desoroyah. Godzilla 03 goes critical, the body of 04 absorbing the radiation, reviving, and mutating. Godzilla 04 goes berserk. Gotengo is deployed to lure it away. Godzilla is lured to the South Pole, and is trapped by the Gotengo, which suffers heavy damages.

**1996**  
December 14: Mothra Incident 02, "Leo I." Logging company unearths Desghidorah's prison in Hokkaido; monster unleashed by Elias Belvera to destroy humanity. Desghidorah begins draining the life from the area. Mothra arrives to attack Desghidorah. Mutation Mothra "Leo" comes to aid Mothra. Mothra fatally wounded, and dies while ensuring Leo's escape. Leo transforms to adult form and returns to fight Desghidorah. Leo successfully defeats Desghidorah, resealing it and resotring the damage caused to the area.

**1997**  
May 8: Studies linking Elias and Shobijin begin.

December 13: Mothra Incident 03, "Leo II." Appearance of Dagarah, creation of Barem. Large loss of sea life along Japan's southern coast. Mothra Leo arrived to defeat Dagarah. Leo mutates into aquatic form, allowing it to defeat Dagarah. Limited information on the event is due to the only information coming from 2 fishermen who were mind controlled for the majority by Belvera.

**1998**  
May 20-July 16: AG Incident 01. French Polynesia nuclear tests mutates marine iguana into A-Godzilla 01. Japanese fishing boat attacked of Jamaica, claiming it was attacked by A-Godzilla. US Army begins investigation, recruiting D. Niko Tatopoulus to analyze samples. A-Godzilla arrives at New York to make a nest. US Army forces attempt to lure the creature out twice. The first results in heavy destruction and the monsters escape, the second its seeming destruction by a team of submarines. A-Godzilla's nest is discovered in Madison Square Garden by a team led by Dr Tatopoulus and DGSE agent Philippe Roache. The majority of the team is slaughtered by the hatchlings, and an airstrike is called. Successful destruction of all hatchlings. A-Godzilla reappears, chasing the remainder of the team to the Brooklyn Bridge, where it is killed by the airstrike team.

September 12: Dr. Tatopoulus discovers single remaining hatchling. Beginning of A-G 02 events.

September 26: Formation of H.E.A.T.

December 12-13: Mothra Incident 04, "Leo III." Meteor storm caused by Ghidorah 02 "Grand Ghidorah" occurs over Aoki. Ghidorah attacks the surrounding area, kidnapping children. Ghidorah places these children in a large dome in Aoki Forest. Mothra Leo arrives and engages Ghidorah. Mothra is defeated. Elias empower Mothra to transform and go back in time to defeat Ghidorah in the past before it became powerful. Mothra semi-succeeds, releasing the children. Ghidorah reappears as a comet, over its previous location. Mothra emerges from a nearby mountainside, transformed into an armored from. Armored Mothra proceeds to attack and kill Ghidorah by converting its body into crystal and exploding from within. Mothra loses its armor, and both it and the Elias vanish.

**1999**  
February 13-20: Leviathan Invasion. Leviathan aliens mind control a US Army base, using its resources to construct a control center on Isle Del Diablo. Control center uses tachyon signals to mind control various monsters around the world, and attack with a large fleet of ships. Revival of A-Godzilla 01 as cyborg, resulting in A-G 02 temporarily joining the aliens. HEAT manages to destroy their controll and free the monsters. A-G 02 kills cyborg 01. JSDF and other forces succeed in destroying the remainder of Leviathan ships.

February 27: Isle Del Diablo used as Site Omega, American-controlled Monster Island 02.

July 20: Mutant soldier program produces first active team. M-Unit formed.

December 11-26: G Incident 18. Reappearance of Godzilla 02, heavily mutated. Discovery of Millennian ship in Japanese Trench. Godzilla arrives, and JSDF forces engage. JSDF forces destroyed, ship attacks Godzilla and forces his retreat. Organizer G-1 discovered as source of Godzilla's regenerative abilities. Ship hijacks JSDF network, gaining knowledge on Godzilla. Godzilla returns and attacks the ship, which disables him and absorbs some of his DNA. Resultant organism Orga attacks in an attempt to fully absorb Godzilla. Godzilla anihilates Orga from within. Operations Dimension Tide and MG-03 "Kiryu" begun.

**2000**  
January 8: Orga samples recovered and transported to JSDF research facility.

August 11: G-Graspers formed for anti-Godzilla efforts.

September 9: Kong events begin. Large ape identified as Kong appears at numerous locations around the world, other monsters also appear. No remains of these monsters are ever found.

November 3-6: G Incident 19, Operation Dimension Tide. Dimension Tide test run opens wormhole into the past, unleashing meganulon. 58% of Tokyo City flooded. Godzilla arrives to investigate the disturbance and is attacked by the meganulon. Godzilla kills the majority of the meganulon, the remainder escape to feed absorbed G-energy to their queen, Megaguirus. Megaguirus attacks Godzilla. Megaguirus is killed. Dimension Tide falls from orbit, firing a last shot at Godzilla. Godzilla vanishes in a wormhole. Dimension Tide crashes in the Pacific Ocean.

November 18: G-Graspers disbanded after illegal actions before and during Operation Dimension Tide that had led to 3 Godzilla attacks.

**2001**  
March 26: Kong events cease.

April 20: Tannenbaum Incorporated begins funding HEAT.

December 15-25: G Incident 20, "Ghost of the Past." Godzilla 01 regenerates within the OxDes Zone. Nuclear submarine destroyed. Baragon emerges from Mt. Myoko. Godzilla attacks and destroys the Bonin Islands. Godzilla attacks Japan and is intercepted in Hakone by Baragon. Baragon is killed. Mothra cocoon appears at Lake Ikeda. JSDF forces engage Godzilla. Mothra and Ghidorah 03 appear and attack Godzilla. Mothra is killed, its spirit seemingly absorbed by Ghidorah, increasing its power. Ghidorah is killed by Godzilla after injuring him. Admiral Taizo Tachibana uses a single-man submarine to detonate a missile within Godzilla, killing it.

**2002**  
January 2: Godzilla 01 remains gathered by JSDF, skeleton incorporated into Kiryu program. Still beating heart is frozen and placed in storage.

December 15: G Incident 21, "Operation Kiryu 01." Kiryu demonstration. Godzilla 02 reappears out of Dimension Tide wormhole, heavily mutated. Kiryu is deployed to engage. Godzilla's roars appear to activate lingering spirits in Godzilla 01's bones, causing Kiryu to go berserk and attack the city while Godzilla 02 retreats. Kiryu runs out of energy and is taken for repairs. Godzilla attacks again, and Kiryu is deployed. Kiryu is damaged, and remote pilot Lt. Akane Yashiro flies in to directly operate it. Successful use of the AZ cannon heavily injures Godzilla. Mechagodzilla is heavily damaged. Effects of the AZ cannon have mission considered a resounding success after the repairs to the guidance system.

**2003**  
January 14: AZ cannon considered lost due to damages.  
August 1: Tri-maser installed to replace AZ cannon.

December 13-18: G Incident 22 "Operation Kiyu 02." Shobijin appear in Japan to warn of Godzilla's attacks being a result of Kiryu. Additionally, if Kiryu remains, Mothra will attack and destroy it. Kamoebas corpse washes up on Japan's east coast, killed by Godzilla. Godzilla is sighted, and Mothra appears to engage. Kiryu arrives to aid, but both Kiryu and Mothra are disabled. 2 Mothra larvae appear to aid against Godzilla. Mothra is killed. Kiryu goes berserk, carrying Godzilla into the ocean.

December 20: Project Pheonix begins.

**2004**  
September 4: Monster Island systems fail. All monsters escape.

October 2: Project Pheonix creates Gotengo 2. Gotengo put into immediate service in tracking reappearance of Manda.

November 29-December 9: Operation Final War. Gigan 02 corpse dating 12,000 years old found in Nara prefecture 13 kilometers from Orochi site. Monster Island escapees appear around the world, attacking major cities. Xilian Rebels(Under the alias of surviving Xilian citizens) appear on Earth, offering assistance against monsters and a coming asteroid "Gorath" in exchange for asylum and Earth's previous aid. Shin'ichi Ozaki, Miyuki Otonashi, and Douglas Gordon discover Xilian deception. Naotaro Daigo exposed s Xilian agent. Mutant soldiers controlled by Xilians and turned against JSDF. Xilian forces appear around Earth with the monsters, attacking most major cities. EDF forces destroyed en mass. M-Unit Commander Kumasaka killed fighting mutants. Gotengo, under Gordon, heads to South Pole to free Godzilla 04, pursued by revived Gigan 02. Gotengo successfully frees Godzilla. Godzilla kills Gigan. Gotengo leads Godzilla back to Japan to destroy Xilian mothership.  
American Godzilla deployed against Godzilla in Sydney; is critically injured.  
Kumonga deployed in New Guinea; is killed after Godzilla throws it 27 kilometers.  
Kamacuras deployed in Kanto; is killed when Godzilla throws and impales it on an electrical transmission.  
Anguiras, King Caesar, and Rodan deployed at Mt. Fuji; all three are non-fatally disabled.  
Ebirah and Hedorah deployed in Tokyo Bay; both monster killed by nuclear breath by Godzilla.  
Gotengo engages and successfully boards Xilian mothership. All crew except for Ozaki, Otonashi, Gordon, and Namikawa killed, the above taken prisoner. Godzilla is engaged by Monster X which arrives in the form of asteroid Gorath. Gigan 02 repaired and deployed to aid Monster X against Godzilla. Mothra appears to aid Godzilla. Gotengo crew successfully escape from Xilians, rescuing Naotaro Daigo and Akiko Namikawa, and destroying the mothership. Gigan and Mothra kill each other. Monster X transforms into (Kaiser) Ghidorah 04 and kills Godzilla. Ozaki uses Kaiser power to revive and temporarily empower Godzilla. Spiral beam mutation displayed and kills Ghidorah. Minilla 02 appears and prevents Godzilla from killing Gotengo crew. Godzilla and Minilla travel to monster Island.

December 10-November 20, 2007: Operation Save the Earth begins. Allies of Xilian rebels, the Vortaak, launch a second strike on Earth in an attempt to gain control of all of its monsters in order to create a supreme monster. Orga cells rejuvenated by alien energies, recreating it. EDF forces deployed.  
Imporant events displayed below. A full recount is available in the relevant file.  
Kiryu and Moguera repaired and deployed. Mechagodzilla 02-2 completed, piloted by Commander Tagaki.  
Jet Jaguar Titan and Micro created by Dr. Ibuki in a mad attempt to destroy the Vortaak monster Megalon. Titan and Micro destroyed by Godzilla. Original Jet Jaguar repaired from their remains, along with gaining access to improved size changing abilities.  
Baragon 02 appears, mutated with flame breath.  
Varan reappears, mutated with sonic breath.  
Titanosaurus reappears.  
Rodan mutates into beam-capable form. Dubbed Fire Rodan.  
Destoroyah reconstitues due to exposure to G-Cells.  
Megaguiras revived by aliens. Breaks Vortaak control due to desire to kill Godzilla 02.  
Biollante cells being researched by Dr. Kazuya Shiragami creates 2nd Biollante due to crystal radiation.  
Gigan 01 repaired. Destroyed during an attack on Monster Island.  
Gigan 02 repaired and deployed during final Vortaak offensive.

Mechagodzilla 01 repaired and used by Vortaak forces.  
SpaceGodzilla appears from space. Moguera launched to investigate and engages it in the Asteroid Belt. This even results in the meteor storm the caused the Crystal Storm event.  
SpaceGodzilla defeated by Godzilla 02 at Mt. Fuji and sucked into a wormhole created by its energies.  
Godzilla destroys Vortaak ultra-submarine  
Vortaak Mothership abducts Godzilla 02. Godzilla succeeds in defeating the resurected Orga and causing the ship to crash in San Francisco bay.  
King Ghidorah 01 reconstituted using G-Cells. Killed while mutated by Critical Mass mutation caused by crystals during final EDF attack on Vortaak.  
Vortaak forces destroyed while Mothership is finishing repairs.  
Living lava monster Obsidius created due to massive crystal radiation. Absorbed by Crystalak.  
Living crystal monster Crystalak emerges. Attempts to absorb all crystal radiation on the planet. Absorbed by SpaceGodzilla during Operation Unleashed.  
Admiral Gyozen commandeers the Gotengo to use against Godzilla. Gotengo heavilly damaged, Gyozen killed.

**2007**  
November 20: Operation Unleashed. Dimensipn Tide repaired using crystal enhancements in an effort ot dimensionally expel the radiation off of Earth. Fired at Monster Island during large gathering of monsters there. SpaceGodzilla emerges from spacial distortion created, stabilizing it using larger crystal pylons. All remaining monsters lured to the Mariana Trench. Dimension Tide fires on gathered monsters. Existing portal on Monster Island collapses, sending all crystal radiation to the trench. SpaceGodzilla absorbs Krystalak, becoming a nexus for all crystal energies. Massive spacial distortion results in the dissapearance of all monsters. Dimension Tide overloaded and destroyed.

December 20: Pacific Invasions begin. Dimensional distortion resulting from Dimension Tide creates a new portal.

**2008**  
February 18: 1st "Pacific" Kaiju attack, San Francisco, US.

March 13: Kaiju attack, Manila, Philippines.

April 20: Kaiju attack, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

May 17: Kaiju attack, Santiago, Chile.

November 4: Jeager Initiative begun.

**2009**  
July 10: Kaiju attack, Anchorage Alaska. Deployment of Gipsy Danger.

**2013**  
July 13: Operation Pacific Rim.

**2014**  
December 19: Ghidorah Incident 05, "Silver."

As an aside, I'm thinking one chapter(not counting this) every 3 days or so. I already have rather a lot planned out, say the next 20 chapters or so, so at least the update schedule shouldn't be a problem for quite some time.


	5. Chapter 4

Himura awoke in the morning, exhausted, slightly damp from sweat, and numb. The alarm was blaring for the staff to assemble for the day, which unfortunately included him. He looked about for his lab coat, only to notice he was still wearing it, creased and rumpled from his tossing and turning in his sleep the night before. Sighing, he stretched it out, getting as many wrinkles out as he could, slapped himself in the face to wake up, and trudged out the door.

He walked as quickly as he could to get the blood flowing, passing a few of the scientists who's names he didn't know just yet, heading for the main room where they'd be given their assignments for the day. He was hoping to get to work right away on anti-monster measures, but knew that it was a false hope. He'd read the papers when he applied to the research division. The first week would be spent acclimating the newbies to the environment, getting to know where everything was and what each subdivisions role was. Learning the ropes as it were. From there, they'd be able to apply to a subdivision, based on personal preference. From there, they'd take tests to determine if they were actually qualified for said subdivision. If so, they'd be admitted, if not, their scores would be given to the heads of each subdivision, who'd be able to pick who they wanted to join them. It was entirely possible for them to be found wanting in the tests for qualification of a subdivision, only for the head to take them on anyway. It was also possible for a head to deny you from the subdivision even if you qualified if they so chose, but that was rare, and required them to file a report on why, which if it anything like what Himura had to do in the past, he doubted they'd want to go through the trouble for anyone but the most extreme cases.

He arrived before most did, noticing with only a small amount of surprise that the GMPO trio was already present. Dolph smiled and waved, Emily gave him a courteous smile, and Suzaku just looked at him for a few seconds, before turning back to conversing with them. Seeing he had a few minutes before everyone else got there, Himura took the opportunity to grab a cup of coffee from a machine in the corner.

_Probably have these all over the building._ He thought as he poured his cup. _Useful, I guess._

He sat waiting for another 5 minutes as the last stragglers came walking in, having finished his first cup in less than a minute, and had 2 more since then. He was now feeling rather awake, and found the constant shaking of his left hand to be an acceptable sacrifice for functionality. As the final scientist came in, the door closed automatically, and a screen appeared on the far wall, showing an elderly man with a bit of grey fuzz, who smiled at the room.

"Greetings, and welcome again to the JSDFSD. My name is Professor Takahata Taiki, and I'll be your instructor for your first week in the science division. Now, this isn't some highschool class. I've read all your files, know of your accomplishments, and what each of you expects to gain out of joining this vaunted organization. I'm here to tell you that you should put all previous thoughts behind you for the next week, because what you're going to learn here will shape your careers for the rest of your lives, and may very well turn you into legends, for good or ill. To start with, each of you should know what's expected of you for the next month, at least. If you don't, then you're not qualified to be here. Make no mistake, the future of humanity is at stake here. We do not accept laziness, backtalk, infighting, harassment, on-the-job distractions, or anything that could possibly be construed as not doing your job. Talking with each other is fine, but you're expected to live up to your exceedingly large salary, so don't spend hours jabbering away about sports or movies or other nonsense. "

He spent a few moments looking around the room, scanning for any unsatisfied faces, and seemed to find it a agreeable. Nodding, his face moved into the upper left corner, and a number of images of the facility appeared.

"Now, we're going to spend today going over the non-restricted sections of the facility, to give you an idea of where you'll be working, and what you can expect from each subdivision. You'll be taken through the docking bays, mechanics, the mutant barracks, the psychic training school, the weapons testing bunker, along with the Monster Elimination, Monster Capture, Monster Study, Tech Integration, Logistics, Accounting, Reverse-Engineering, Piloting, and City Defense subdivision. That will take up the entirety of today, and tomorrow you'll start your shifts in each section, to get accompanied with the requirements of working in each, and what you can look forward to in the subdivision of your choice. That is all for now. Take ten minutes to prep yourselves, then meet me in the main lobby for the tour. Dismissed."

xxxx

Loading up on another cup of coffee because he was starting to get a little woozy from the other one wearing off, Himura headed over to the trio, figuring it was as good as any place to kill time. They exchanged the usual greetings, and when he deemed it a good enough moment, Himura started with the inquiries.

"So, what divisions are you three planning on signing up for?" He asked, looking first at Dolph. _Might as well start simple._

"I'm going to be heading for the Monster Study. Protecting monsters requires understanding them, along with being able to better make individualized countermeasures for each one." Dolph said with a small smile.

"I'm heading into City Defense. The primary threat from monsters is in major industrial and population centers, so that's where most of our countermeasures will be deployed. Getting more non-lethal installations into these locations will not only better protect them, but also serve to demonstrate the practicality of non-lethal measures in the field." Emily said with measured confidence.

"And I'm in Monster Capture, obviously. All of our efforts require that the monsters be contained in a location that will keep them from interacting with humans, for both our safety and theirs. Like Emily's objective, just with a more active role of going out and finding the ones that manage to escape after they encounter humans, or newly born or discovered ones before they can inflict damage. The most important means of preserving monsters is ensuring they don't attack at all, so people will be more receptive of the idea of them coexisting with humans, even if it is in captivity." Suzaku finished, looking and Himura with no small amount of conviction.

"Huh, I thought the three of you would apply to the same field, so you would be able to work together and have a better shot at getting your ideas accepted." Himura said, a bit of question in his voice.

"Ensuring we succeed means getting our ideas into as many fields as possible, and working with as many aspects of the JSDF as possible, and that means we each need to work in a different subdivision." Said Dolph, looking at Himura confidently. "We might not be able to work together on a day-to-day basis, but we'll still be able to share our ideas on downtimes, and better integrate our ideas into the workings of the organization more easily. We have a plan, and we're more than willing to suffer a tiny inconvenience like this if it boosts our chance of succeeding in our goal."

Himura stood for a few seconds, realizing just how much thought had been put into this, and was struck that his initial dismissal had been a tad childish. He was about to say something, when Suzaku interjected.

"I'm guessing you're going for Monster Extermination, am I right?" He said, his eyes focused on Himura.

"Y-yes, I am. I'm guessing my refusal before gave it away?" He said, just a tiny bit bashfully.

"That's right. Not hard to piece together." Suzaku said, looking at him harshly for a moment, before turning away. "Still, I can't say I don't understand your reasons. The world has suffered for nearly eighty years under the threat of monster attacks, millions have lost their lives, destruction in the billions, entire cities wiped off the map. Compared to monsters, even something like that atomic bomb seems like the toy of children next to an angry carnivore. You're entirely justified in whatever reason you have to want to exterminate them."

Turning back to Himura, Suzaku's eyes were hard, but held a certain understanding. "But I want you to take Gordon's words into consideration. He was very correct when he said some monsters like Godzilla deserve to live. The Godzilla species, while causing massive casualties and losses numerous times, have saved the earth many more times. The Mothra have been protecting the planet for millions of years, and even recent examples like the American's Godzilla, or that mystery monster the Calico team based out of South America had with them. They've saved our lives more than we'll ever know, and dozens of others most people have never heard of. Don't think that just because we have abominations like Ghidorah that all monsters are evil."

With that, Suzaku walked off, Emily following behind. Dolph gave Himura a shrug, and followed them, leaving him alone.

xxxx

3 days later, while Himura was serving in a temporary position in the Logistics subdivision, the alarms around the base went off. Looking about as the teams dashed to their stations, already keying in codes and contacting various city services, Himura turned to see a number of screens change to display the Hokkaido region, most focused on Asahikawa. Fires were burning, people were running screaming, and the local defense installations were already coming online.

A monster was attacking Japan.


	6. Chapter 5

As ever, I don't own anything Godzilla or Toho related. Toho does.

* * *

The titan of black and red metal, firing into the buildings seemingly at random, unleashing a metallic roar as it destroyed everything around it. The enormous insectoid monstrosity almost seemed to be laughing as crimson beams lanced out of the huge cannons on its arms. With each blast of its cannons, tiny wisps of red rose up from the blasted and smoking structures and streets, vanishing into a series of red gems in its arms and chest.

Himura watched this, frozen in place as the people around him furiously worked at contacting emergency services, ensuring civilian evacuation, and directing military forces in the area to the most advantageous positions for engagement. The intercom was blaring, an unkown voice announcing calmly over the blaring alarms.

"-lize to engage. Repeat, an unknown monster has attacked Asahikawa. JSDF forces are mobilize to engage. All personal to your stations. M-Soldiers are to report to the hangar to await further orders. JR team is to report to the mecha bay for immediate launch. Repeat, JR team report to the mecha bay for immediate launch."

A number of screens immediately changed to show a massive hangar with a number of massive individual compartments, each of which had to be at least 50 meters tall and nearly as wide, a number being far larger. One of the bays was lit, revealing a titanic machine, nearly as large as the monster attacking Asahikawa. A series of walkways were pulling away, fuel lines detaching in preparation for launch. As he watched the incredible display, Himura was pulled to the side by one of the staff and ushered out the door.

"Sorry, but that's going to have to be it for your time here. Get back to the main building, and make sure you take the main hall, the others will be closed for non-essential personnel." The man said, and even as he hurried Himura out, he was already shouting commands to a number of the staff at the main consoles. The moment he was outside, Himura took off running, intent on finding a way to watch the battle about to unfold. He was two thirds of the way back to the primary scientist compound when the entire building shook, and the sound of enormous rockets firing overhead made him realize that the mecha had been launched.

He came charging into the main meeting hall, a number of his contemporaries already there, eyes locked on the large monitor that usually broadcast important news for those working there to watch. The present view was of a camera drone, several miles away from the carnage, zooming in on the unfolding chaos. The news team in charge was busy detailing what was happening, urging people to evacuate the area and for all nearby areas to do the same. The reporter on screen, sitting in a ground control station looked off to the side, and a clear look of relief filled her face.

"I have just been informed that the JSDF has already deployed the Jet Razor, which is on its way yo Asahikawa as I speak. The Jet Razor has proven itself time and again in defending Japan from monster threats, and will no doubt triumph today as well." She said with professional optimism.

_The Jet Razor._ Himura thought, remembering past events of the machines performance. _This monster will be dead in minutes then. Thank God._

The Jet Razor was the newest model of anti-kaiju mecha, a humanoid design based off of the old Jet Jaguar machine. Sleek, fast, agile, equipped with the latest weapons and defensive measures, it had already taken down 4 class II monsters and a class III, proving the most effective machine since the MG series was decommissioned. 80 meters tall, capable of mach 3, and strong enough to toss a 50,000 ton monster with one hand, it was quickly becoming the pride of the JSDF. Himura had seen it in action on the TV a few times, and had looked over the official specs half a dozen times. He planned on making a better one some day soon, to fight alongside and eventually replace the iconic machine.

He was looking forward to seeing how it would do against what looked to be at least a class III Machine type.

xxxx

It was barely another 30 seconds before the Jet Razor came screaming in like a bird of prey, falling from the sky with an audible thud roughly a kilometer from the insectoid machine, perfectly balanced parts not even shaking from the nearly 1000 kph landing. It slammed one fist into the other palm, letting out a heroic sounding metal "Huuuh!" The black machine watched, letting out an almost cackling metallic "Skrrrrrraaaah!", right arm rising to unleash a crimson bolt, black waves emanating as the twin-barrels fired. Thrusters on the left side shoved the Razor to the right, legs pulled up slightly to avoid causing damage to any intact buildings. The searing blood-red bolt missed by a far margin, the extreme heat from the energy lighting fire to treetops and wooden roofs. Landing smoothly from the thrust-jump, Jet Razor raised its right arm, hand folding down and sliding below the wrist, three barrels unfolding from its forearm. The tri-maser fired, triple bolts of golden energy lashing out, catching the black monster in the chest, blasting the metal with huge amounts of energy, any burns invisible on the already dark metal, bits of smoke rising from the plates.

The black beast roared, bizarre wings unfolding from its back, black lightning crackling along the membranes as it took semi-flight, launching itself at Jet Razor. The silver machine activated thrusters on its chest and legs, and in a display almost as absurd as the thing flying at it, managed a full backflip as the insectoid landed, feet just clearing the swinging blades on the things elbows, the gleaming metal missing by only a few dozen meters. It landed on both hands, swinging its legs back and pushing off the ground, sailing back even further, left arm raised as its weapon unfolded. A blast of silver-blue energy thrust out, striking the monster on the still extended arm, ice forming over the ebony appendage, freezing it in an awkwardly close angle. The beast roared, raising its arm slightly to shield its upper body, the other arm firing just as Jet Razor landed. The blast caught the shining defender square in the chest, and the light mecha was thrown back, landing hard on its back, crushing a number of buildings underneath it.

Shaking its head, the machine kicked itself up, and its head lashed forward, pinpoint beams firing from its eyes. The black beast raised its frozen arm, blocking the beams and melting the frost, letting out a triumphant screech just in time to take a series of missiles to the face. The shoulder plates on the Jet Razor closed, and the mecha gave a shout, all back thrusters firing as it charged at the beast. As it came within distance, the thrusters fired it into a spinning kick, heavy foot slamming wholly into its foes face, followed by a swift punch to the gut, and a tri-maser blast from the still extended arm point blank.

The monster slowly fell back, smoke rising from its chest. Its head swiveled down to regard the silver machine, and it almost seemed to smirk. The moment the Jet Razor planted its foot on the spot where it just was, an explosion erupted underneath it, blowing it back. Even as it fell, the black and red beast recovered, aiming all four barrels at the falling mecha. All four blasts hit almost point-blank, blowing off a layer of armor on the chest and upper arms, and heating the plates under those to a glowing red. The monsters curved clawed foot rose, catching the Jet Razor in the face, tearing away the front armor to expose the inner mechanics. Practically roaring, the Razor raised both arms, the shoulder panels popping up, the eyes glowing, and more plates popped up on its hips. All of its weapons opened fire, dozens of missiles firing, lasers and masers blasting full power, and the ice cannon freezing. An enormous explosion erupted across the black beast, causing the Jet Razor to skid backwards a good hundred meters, entire front smoking from the power of its own arsenal, barrels and eyes glowing hot. The smoke billowed for a few moments, nothing happening.

Then, a loud screech filled the air, and the monstrous head of the beast breached the smoke, cracked and billowing tiny red wisps, the body following soon after, clearly damaged, but still ready to fight. It roared, raising all of its weapons, locking on to the Jet Razor. The silver machine raised its arms again, roaring its own cry, preparing to continue the battle. As its gun barrels glowed their fullest, the black monster seemed to see something, and the almost giddy look it had been wearing turned into the closest thing to a scowl that such a face could show. Throwing its arms behind it, it roared at the human weapon, spreading its wings to full and launching itself into the sky. Even as the Razor fired its masers to try and take it down, it vanished into the clouds, its metallic "Skrrrraaaah!" fading to a distant echo.

The human machine slowly rose, gaze raised to the sky, smoke billowing from its front like a cloak, and it turned away, taking to the sky as well, but instead of pursuing, it turned to return to base.

xxxx

Himura watched, dumbfounded. The strongest anti-kaiju machine since the MG series...it had, at best, stalemated the other machine. He grit his teeth, eyes still locked on the hole in the clouds the beast had made. He didn't even hear Dolph saying his name from a few meters away. He just kept looking at the clouds, and the smoking ruins of Asahikawa.


	7. Chapter 6

I still don't own anything in the story, well, none of the monsters or mecha at least. Those belong to Toho.

* * *

Himura was still staring at the screen when the display changed, showing the head of the JSDF for the last 30 years, Commander Akiko Namikawa.

"Attention to all JSDF personal. For those of you not yet aware, Asahikawa has been attacked by an unknown monster. Jet Razor was deployed to engage and destroy, and although it managed to drive the monster away, it was unable to destroy it. We have no information on the monster so far, only that it is either partially or mostly mechanical in nature, insectoid in appearance, and given its sudden appearance and departure, appears to come from space. It is tentatively being classified as a class four monster at this time."

The gathered crowd looked around at each other, hushed murmurs already spreading through the throngs. A class 4 monster hadn't been encountered in almost 15 years, and represented a huge threat to humanity. Commander Namikawa waited several seconds for this information to be absorbed before continuing.

"A team is being dispatched to investigate the site of the attack, and all footage of the monster is to be studied immediately for any information that can be gathered. An official press report is to be readied within one hour. Until such a time as defensive satellites can be configured for planetary defense, the JSDF and all related forces are to remain on high alert. The Mokuera units are to be placed an standby, and pilots are to remain within fast response distance. All anti-monster protocols are to go into effect immediately. That is all for now."

The commander's visage vanished, to be replaced by a number of messages informing personal of their tasks, along with continued news footage of the attack sight. Himura looked around, finally noticing Dolph standing a few meters away, looking at him.

"So, it looks like our jobs just got a bit more important, huh?" He said, no real humor in his voice.

"It appears that way." A voice said from behind Himura, who turned to see Suzaku and Emily coming up to them. "Not even a week in and we have a class four attack. Fantastic. The Defense Force is going to be scrambling to get its defences in place, and no doubt the UN is going to go into a panic. I wouldn't be surprised if they start fielding those ridiculous Jaeger units."

"We're probably going to be accelerated in the program." Emily said, looking a bit concerned. "They'll need as many people working as they can get, which means they'll probably skip over the initial acclimation stage and send us directly into the tests."

"No choice, with something like this. I bet the people in charge of the JSDF budget are probably kicking themselves right now for their decisions last year." Dolph said, shaking his head. "It's going to take months to get the MG units operational, even longer to get them fully refit and in fighting condition. If that thing attacks again, it's going to be hell."

"Still, with the Jet Razor and the Mokuera units, it won't be very difficult to at least chase it away, if not outright destroy it." Himura said, thinking about the battle.

"You're wrong." Suzaku said, causing Himura to give him a look. "That cyborg was winning. It _chose_ to retreat."

"What makes you think that?" Himura said a bit confrontationally. "And what makes you think it's a cyborg?"

"Its movements were too organic for a machine. Even the best alien machines we've seen tend to focus on heavy firepower and defense. That thing was fast despite how bulky it was, and the way it attacked such an unusual area indicates it wasn't after the usual alien objective of taking out military bases or population centers. It had its own objective, and whatever it was, it didn't find it. I've memorized every monster attack from nineteen fifty four to today, and the closest we have to that are the various alien creatures that came without invasion forces, and less than five percent of those were fully robotic. Of course, it might have been a scout sent to test our defenses, but then why retreat when it had the Razor in that position? It's most consistent wi-"

Before he could continue, the intercom turned on, and an unknown male voice came over. "Attention new recruits. Because of the sudden monster attack, we're accelerating your progression. Tests will begin tomorrow, and your current activities are suspended. Please return to your quarters until further notice."

Looking at his two comrades, Suzaku shrugged, and began walking back to the rooms they had been assigned, Emily and Dolph following behind, leaving Himura lone. Taking one last look at the screen showing the smoking ruins, he followed them, returning to his own room.

xxxx

The next day, Himura walked down the hall to the Monster Extermination compound, arriving behind 3 others, and was soon in front of close to a dozen more. It seemed the majority of the latest scientists had the same goal as him. The moment the clock display over the door hit 8:00, the door opened, and two troops ushered them in. The room they entered was the main entrance, multiple doors leading to the actually occupied sections. The large pillars in the center of the room turned slightly to regard them, the hidden defensive turrets ready to gun them all down on the first note of suspicious behavior. As one of the heaviest armories of anti-kaiju defenses on the planet, defense against intrusion was of the utmost importance. They were led to a side room, a relatively small room filled with 2 rows of seats, placed in front of silver metal tables. As they took their seats based on number, the far wall activated a view screen, revealing none other than Admiral Gordon.

"Welcome to the entrance tests into the Extermination division. You know why you're hear, so let's get right to it. You have one hour to complete a test that will gauge your knowledge on kaiju, and how best to kill them. Those who finish before the time limit is over are to sit quietly. Anyone who doesn't finish by the allotted time automatically fail. That's it. Get to work."

The screen faded, and the desks lit up, and electronic display folding up in front of them. A series of questions appeared, and the bottom opened up to reveal a stylus. A counter appeared in the upper left of the screen, displaying 60:00, which immediately began counting down. Wasting no time, Himura picked up the stylus, and examined the first question. He almost froze when he saw how complicated the question was.

_When engaging a 2-headed monster that breaths fire of 1200 degrees Celsius from each mouth and firing beams of 4,184 gigajoules per second from each eye, with an energy resistance of 209.2 terajoules per second, what is the optimum method of engagement when armed with the standard JSDF deployment force + 1 Mekuera unit when the distance to the nearest population center of 10,000 is 5 kilometers?_

Himura spent several seconds thinking it over, double checked his math, and wrote down the answer, moving on to the next question. He had to admit, this wasn't as hard as he thought it might be. He figured it would probably only take him another 42 minutes to finish.

xxxx

39 minutes later, Himura put down the stylus, making sure his grammar was correct, and pressed the submit icon. He had to admit, question 19 was a little difficult to puzzle out, but the fact that they gave him a mk4 Destroid instead of the mk5 gave him just enough leeway to make something only mostly insane as far as tactics are concerned. He was only the 2nd one finished too. Sitting quietly for the others to finish, he spent his time thinking of the scenarios offered in the test, and realized how a good portion of them didn't actually take property damage into account. A little odd, but considering the JSDF track record, worrying about abandoned buildings didn't really seem top priority.

The time finally ticked done, and the last one there just managed to press submit before the last second, looking on;y a tiny bit panicked as he did so. The displays folded back into the tables, and the doors opened, the soldiers ushering them back out the way they came. The entire thing done, Himura headed back to the primary compound, to await the results. They would probably take just over an hour, so he decided to utilize that time looking over the updates concerning the monster attack. The property damage wasn't too horrible, but the civilian casualties were a little disproportionate compared to the standard figures. He spent a moment reading over the numbers, trying to make sense of them, when Suzaku's thoughts on the matter leaped into his head. The creature being a cyborg, specifically killing humans, without actually going after anything important. The attack point must have been random, without any intention to cripple Japan as a whole. While he wasn't fond of the other man's attitude, he had to admit the theory made a bit of sense.

A little over an hour later, the door to his room opened, and a soldier stood just beyond, checking a small datadap.

"Himura Musashi?" He asked, double-checking the display.

"Yes."

"Come with me, your test has been evaluated and your position has been decided." He said, already starting to move down the hallway.

Himura followed him, remaining silent as he did so. No point in spending time asking needless questions when everything awaited him at his destination. The walk was a few minutes long, leading back into the ME compound, past the door they had gone into before, and down a long hallway into the depths of the structure. The entire place was almost oppressively military, the walls utterly blank, every door shut, no sound other than their footsteps. They were well into the bowls of the building by the time the soldiers stopped at a door, ran fingerprint and eye scans, typed in a password, and entered into the room as the huge door pulled itself into the wall. Himura followed, and was greeted by an astounding sight.

The room they entered was massive, covered in displays and data, showing literally dozens of massive machines in their hangars, huge vehicle bays with everything from small scout drones to enormous MMBT-108s, and the titanic launch bay that held over a dozen AK Sky Fortress vessels. Sitting in the center of that room was the legendary Gotengo, teams running around like insects before the leviathan vessel, loading in munitions, checking the hull, and ensuring that it was ready for deployment at a moments notice. There must have been hundreds of screens, each being studied by a crisp-uniformed individual, spread in concentric curved rows leading down from the central bridge he now found himself on.

Still following the soldier, he arrived just behind the primary control center for the entire JSDF force deployment, the very center of anti-kaiju operations for the entire eastern hemisphere. Sitting in the chairs were a number of high-ranking personal, most of them living legends. Takaki Aso, who had been in charge during the majority of the Heisei period, commanding the first truly successful operation against Godzilla with the MG-02. Hikari Sakamori, who had headed the Zone Fighter project that had resulted in the single best kaiju kill count in history. Taizo Tachibana, head of oceanic operations, and holding the distinct honor of having directly killed a Godzilla in 2001. And in the center of them sat Admiral Gordon, who was turned to face Himura as he arrived.

"Good to see ya, kid." He said, looking at Himura with a smirk. "Welcome to the most important room on the planet, least that's what we tell ourselves. As you've probably guessed, this will be your new home for the foreseeable future. Normally we have an interview with the people who get signed in here before we finalize them, but given our little talk and your damn near perfect scores on the test, along with the emergency we're facing, I've decided to forgo that and just appoint you to your station. Don't make me regret it, kid."

"Yes sir!" Himura said, saluting again. "I won't let you down, sir!"

"Kid, stop saluting me. You're one of the eggheads, act like it, and get your ass to your new station." Gordon said, smirking. "Once your acquainted with how to push buttons, we'll see about giving you an assignment, after we finish sorting out the mess we're in right now. That's all, dismissed."

Himura was about to solute again, but thought about it, and just nodded. "Right away sir." He followed the soldiers down to an empty console, the screen already displaying a number of basic instructions to get him prepared for what he was to do. Almost grinning to himself, he immediately set to work.

* * *

Since I haven't done so for all the past chapters, it's review recognition time.

Xahraxs: A number of different giant monster related things are going to be in the story. They're all planned out at the moment, so if I miss someone's favorite monster, sorry, crowded enough as is.

Gojira Geek: What is the Silver Ghidorah? Simple, it's a plot point. One I'm sure you'll enjoy.

Snake MacReady:Yeah, the Timeline seemed like a good idea when I started, and it's only become more useful as time's gone on. Attentive individuals will be able to work out bits of plot, but nothing enough to spoil the story.

Jormungandr1994: Many thanks, always nice to see people enjoying your work.


	8. Chapter 7

Still own nothing. Toho does.

Transcription of JSDF command meeting #74-326-02  
JSDF Headquarters, Tokyo.  
11/22/2029  
5:45PM JST

7:19 after unknown monster attack #102

Meeting convened in order to discuss U.K.E.-23. Members present include the following.

Present in meeting room.  
Douglas M. Gordon, Admiral. Head of JSDF and Japan-centered Anti-Kaiju operations.  
Taizo Tachibana, Admiral. Head of oceanic operations.  
Akiko Namikawa, Vice-Admiral. Admiral Gordon's 2nd in command.  
Takaki Aso, Commander. Head of Anti-Kaiju Mecha Division.  
Hikari Sakamori, Sergeant Major. Zone Fighter Project and Jet Razor program Overseer.  
Shin'ichi Ozaki, Commander. Mutant Division.  
Yusuke Ifukube, CSO, CTO. Head of JSDF Science Division.

Present via com-screen.  
Yuki Kazama, Japanese Prime Minister. Commander in chief of JSDF.  
Nakamoto Daigan, UN Secretary General.  
Daisuke Wakamoto, Commander. Japan-China Anti-Kaiju operations.

.

Meeting begins at exactly 5:45. Prime Minister Kazama makes opening statement.

.

YK: "Gentlemen, as you all know, just over seven hours ago, we had our first major monster attack in nearly fifteen years. Asahikawa suffered major damages, and despite our best efforts, the monster managed to escape. We've already made an official statement on the matter, but we need to know what we're dealing with.  
What have your efforts uncovered?"

Ifukube stands, activating a holographic display in the center of the table, showing a map of the damaged area, along with several screens of specific damages, bodies, and science teams.

YI: "We deployed science teams thirty seven minutes after the attack, once we were sure that the defense grid was fully operational and there was no threat of further attack. As you can see here,"

Points to an image of a large crater in the center of the city.

"The monster landed towards the center of Asahikawa, and began destroying everything around it, seemingly without regard to any actual goal. It rampaged for thirteen minutes before the Jet Razor arrived to engage it. The fight lasted two minutes thirty three seconds, before the monster retreated into space."

YK: "Have you determined the reason for the attack?"

Gordon stands, motioning for Ifukube to sit.

DG: "We've looked over the evidence, but so far we're limited to a few theories. None of these have enough evidence to be conclusive, but we're fairly confident as to which one is right."

YK: "Proceed."

DG: "Sir. The three primary theories are as follows. The first is that it's a vanguard or scout of an alien invasion. This is unlikely for the following reasons. The city it attacked isn't consistent with the usual alien attacks, being a fairly unimportant location as far as anything important goes. It's possible that they were testing our response times, but given the result of the battle, this seems unlikely.  
"The second is that it was a lone individual attacking for its own reasons. This seems the most likely, given its target and actions."

YK: "What evidence do you have for thinking this?"

DG: "For starters, its actions are far more consistent with lone alien attacks than a full invasion. More than that, it retreated against the Razor, despite the fact that it was fighting it to a standstill, possibly winning. Much more importantly is the reason we weren't able to detect it in the first place."

Gordon changes the display to show the EDF defense satellite network.

DG: "Our satellites are programmed to detect attacks from monsters and aliens, and is designed to pick them up from roughly two hundred thousand kilometers. It scans for biological signals larger than ten meters, and any communication signals from outside our furthest satellite orbits. Since the monster wasn't detected, this means it wasn't organic, or at least not organic enough to trigger the sensors. It also didn't trigger the signal detector, which means it wasn't remote operated, and unless it was piloted without any data being sent back to some other source, it almost certainly wasn't a war machine.  
This points to two possibilities. If it _is_ a piloted machine, it's not part of some larger force. The second and more likely scenario is that it's some kind of cyborg, which explains the strangeness of its attack, while also revealing why it wasn't giving out signals. The possibility of it being an alien controlled cyborg has been dismissed, as that would require remote signals, and anything advanced enough to control it without us being able to detect that control would have no reason to just send one, or to retreat it when it could have won. Of course, we can't confirm any of this just yet, but we're confident in the cyborg theory, which is supported by the information gathered from Asahikawa."

Gordon changes the display to show a number of corpses.

DG: "From the bodies we managed to recover, we discovered something, well, interesting. Almost every dead body we found was entirely drained of blood. We think it is probably what was happening here."

Display changes, showing clouds of red flowing from the destroyed buildings, appearing to be absorbed into the gem-like objects on the creature.

DG: "As you can see, it appears to be consuming blood from those it's killed. This fits with the seemingly random attack pattern. Further, two bodies recovered from Asahikawa Hospital were found in a similar condition, despite not being touched by the attack itself. One was in for an injury suffered while on a motorcycle, a small gash across the right leg. The other had a case of severe chronic nosebleeds, which required medication. Both of these individuals were bleeding at the time of death. Further, all survivors gathered from the city were found to have only suffered bruises at worst. This indicates that the monster needed its victims bleeding in order to drain them. Several dead were found that hadn't been drained, having been killed due to internal damages; no outward bleeding.  
"This also explains the reason it retreated when it did. It damaged the Jet Razor, tearing off its faceplate, showing it was a machine. After that, it seemed to become negative, and left. Our theory is that it was probably fighting under the impression that the Razor was a cyborg like itself, and that killing it would have given it a serious feast. When it saw it was a machine, it figured that it wasn't worth fighting something it couldn't make a meal out of, and that's why it ran."

YK: "So, what is the likelihood that it will return?"

DG: "High. Given how it attacked, it can almost certainly expect to find easier meals elsewhere on the planet. More than that though, it might be able to guess why we have the Razor in the first place, and guess that there are other monsters on the planet. Of course, even if the chance of it returning is low, we can't exactly take the risk of leaving ourselves open to anther attack."

YK: "And what is to be done to prevent it from happening again?"

Gordon nods to Namikawa, who stands.

AM: "Sir, the defensive satellites are being fully activated. Anything larger than twenty meters will be detected and analyzed. Further, the weapons systems are being activated, and full planetary coverage can be expected within the next two weeks. Furthermore, while Jet Razor is undergoing repairs, we've activated Mokuera units one through six, along with fast-response fighter teams."

Daigan joins.

ND: "The UN has been notified, and EDF forces will be ready for deployment within three days. Forces can be anywhere on the planet within forty six minutes."

Wakamoto joins.

DW: "China has promised support, and has activated five of its Typhoon units. They can be anywhere in Japan in less than an hour."

Ozaki joins.

SO: "Mutant forces are being readied across the globe. Roughly six thousand anti-kaiju soldiers are available at this time."

YK: "Understood. Thank you for your quick response to this emergency. Japan is, as always, thankful for your efforts. A statement will be given to the press tomorrow morning, and you can all expect to be hounded for the next few days until we can assure the situation is fully under control."

DG: "You mean when we can come up with convincing enough **** **** for the press to swallow."

YK: "_Yes_, Admiral Gordon, when we can convince the press their not all going to die. Which, given your position, falls rather squarely on your shoulders, so please, don't let me down."

DG: "Don't worry Yuki, anything that wants to mess with the earth has to go through me first."

YK: "We can only hope your bones don't give out on you first, old man. That will be all."

Kazama's screen closes, as does Daigan's.

DG: "You heard the lady, let's get our asses in gear people. Ifukube, how long before your new recruits are ready for action?"

YI: "If you're referring to the new scientists, standard procedure will have them tested and assigned to their subdivisions within the next two weeks."

DG: "That's too long for something like this. Get the tests started tomorrow, and have everyone assigned by Monday."

YI: "Sir, that's too quickly for a new team like this, we can't-"

DG: "The JSDF doesn't believe in 'can't' Yusuke. Get them ready by Monday. We need some fresh faces in our labs, and we need to get them working before they start to panic. Work is a wonderful distraction when the worlds loosing its shit, right? Get to it."

Ifukube sighs.

YI: "Yes sir. Tests will start in the morning. I don't suppose there's any more regulations you'd like thrown out to expedite the process?"

DG: "Heh, not right now. Just get them to their new stations. And make sure one Musashi Himura gets sent to me at Monster Extermination."

YI: "And why this particular individual, sir?"

DG: "Simple, he reminds me of me when I was his age. And that worries the hell out of me. I want him where I can see him."

YI: "Yes sir, understood."

DG: "Okay people, meeting adjourned. Ozaki, come with me."

Meeting ends at 6:09.


	9. Chapter 8

Himura slumped down on his bed, groaning. The emergency situation had lasted only 3 days, but it was 3 days of constant work. He had hardly been sleeping, working long hours at a constant pace to make sure JSDF forces were deployed at the slightest sign of a monster appearance with the entire command center buzzing like a hornets nest. Sure, it made sense as to why they were so panicked and needed to be on constant alert, but the excitement had faded an hour into his first day, leaving him nothing to do but make sure all of the assignments he was given were done perfectly despite having to learn them as he went. The entire thing had exhausted him to the point of collapse, and he relished the weekend break now that the alerts were over.

He'd been working so hard he hadn't even had a chance to really appreciator that he had been what amounted to Olympus as far as human efforts against monsters were concerned. The JSDF Command Center was a place kids dreamed about, that aspiring scientists and soldiers hoped one to to glimpse in person, that spies the world over would give their left arm for 5 minutes of access to. Able to monitor every single monster presence the world over, and the room with the button that decided if the over 4 dozen monsters on Monster Island would be let out to face threats to the earth, or the entire isle be wiped off the face of the earth. A room filled with living legends and legends in the making.

All that aside, the last 3 days had been, despite being incredibly hectic, surprisingly boring. There was no big invasion, no sudden surge in monster activity, no new terrorist organization using super science. The only activity had been a class I that the local mutant division were able to capture in under an hour and a giant rooster that was disabled after rampaging through the American south before being taken down by HEAT. Himura almost facepalmed when he saw it on the monitors.

_Fried chicken. Kaiju-sized._ Himura groaned at his own joke. He was too tired for this.

Curling up on his bed, once again not bothering to change out of his lab coat, he was out in a few minutes. At the very least, he could look forward to a break tomorrow.

xxxx

He woke in the morning at 7, far too early for his tastes, but his body was still in action mode. He was out of bed and dressed before he even noticed he was awake, his hand on the door. He sighed, walked back into his room, changed into some normal clothes, headed to the bathrooms to engage in various hygienic activities, and was almost out the door to the main entrance when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see one of the three(Well, two) people he expected to see, and sure enough, there was Dolph, smiling at him.

"Hey, Musashi, long time no see. Seems like ages, huh?" The oddly energetic German said, patting Himura on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess so. The last few days feel like months." He said, yawning. "What about you?"

"Yep, it's been quite exciting. Had us working on analyzing all of the footage from the news drones, the data from the EDF satellite network, damages done to the Jet Razor, and the reports from the science teams sent to the attack sight. Extremely interesting stuff. The monster has an energy signal we've never encountered before. It almost seems biological in nature, but it's entirely energy based, no mass at all."

"So, what does that mean exactly? Wouldn't that mean that its weapons were partially organic in nature, or am I missing something?"

"No, that's about right, but not exactly. Even with all of our technological advancements over the decades, we still don't have what we need to understand something like this in a short amount of time, if we even can. This thing's a total mystery." Dolph finished, frowning slightly.

"Exactly, which means we need the monster itself in order to unravel that mystery." Suzaku's voice came from the side, its owner walking up with Emily in tow. "If it matches my suspicions, it would be extremely important to capture it alive. It's unique biology could unlock all kinds of information to extraterrestrial organisms, and this alien technology incorporated into it could reveal some truly spectacular things if we can study it."

"You think the JSDF will actually try that? It seems like they're adamant about killing this one. It seems too powerful to allow us to afford capturing it." Himura said, remembering a few conversations from the command center.

"Which is why I am already working on a device which will be able to disable the connection between the creature and its weapons systems." Suzaku said, smirking a bit. "Since it has been confirmed that the creature is a cyborg, that means it must have mechanical systems that allow it to fire its weapons. Once that's disabled, it will be significantly easier to capture."

"Or kill." Himura said, still not sold on the idea of capturing such a dangerous monster.

"Barbarian. Try and think of what could be gained if we can reliably capture it intact. We have never managed to capture an intact example of alien technology, and this one is also a biological wonder. Or, if that's too pacifist for you, imagine what we can do if we can analyze its weapons systems intact?" Suzaku spat, clearly ready to tear into Himura.

"That's enough you two. Stop acting like children arguing over a toy." Emily said, sighing in exasperation. "Sir, you're in charge of our organization, please don't go arguing with people." She chided.

"Hmph, perhaps you are right. It is not worth arguing with a philistine like this."

"Well maybe...no, you're right. It's not worth arguing with someone so pig-headed." Himura said, trying to calm down.

"Well, now that that's over, who's hungry?" Dolph said, clapping Himura on the shoulder.

"What?" He said, immediately lost by the sudden change in topic.

"It's still early, so how about we all go out for breakfast. I've scouted out this nice place not too far from here. Turns out there's a rather decent amount of restaurants around the JSDF compounds. Hungry soldiers must be good for business." Dolph explained, grinning.

"Hmm." Himura thought for a moment, thinking of a reason to decline on account of still wanting to punch Suzaku in the face, but his answered was made for him as his stomach groaned loudly. He hadn't eaten dinner last night, and now he was starving. He had enough courtesy to blush slightly as he sighed.

"Haha, I'll take that as a yes." Dolph said, chuckling. "Follow me, we'll talk over our recent sufferings over a plate of fish and rice."

xxxx

", so hopefully we'll be able to get a prototype installed on a Mokuera unit within the next month." Emily finished, brimming with confidence.

"Well, I can't say that wouldn't be worth seeing, but are you sure you can get one built within that timeframe?" Himura asked, engrossed in her explanation of the anti-cyborg device.

"Of course. GMPO has its own development facilities, and we have enough supporters to manufacture a good eighty percent of it ourselves within about twenty days. We're already working on getting approval from Commander Aso to install it." She said, nodding to herself.

"Not only that, but within the next three months, we should be able to not only get approval, but manufacture a large variant to be placed in Tokyo." Suzaku said, nodding at Emily. "A few adjustments will make it just as effective as a total shutdown of all machines it fires at, including alien vessels and mecha."

"Hasn't this been attempted before? Nineteen eighty six I think, in America, then again in two thousand three in China." Himura said, trying to remember the countless articles he'd read on anti-kaiju efforts.

"True, but technology marches on, and the Chinese prototype was actually successful when tested, it just had exorbitant energy requirements. Our model makes use of the Jeager-type power core, which can power it without making it a giant target." Dolph added, getting a nod from Suzaku.

They had been talking for a little over an hour about the past week of activity, eating at the small breakfast dinner that Dolph had led them too. Himura found the selection a bit limited, but it made up for it in quality. He hadn't had tuna this good in months. He'd told them about his sufferings, the hectic nothing he'd been subjected to, not even bothering to exaggerate his position. Dolph explained some of the most interesting things they'd found about the attack, including the creatures apparent eating habits. Suzaku had been discussing the various countermeasures he'd already begun to design, along with what the JSDF was already planning. It seemed that capturing and studying it was heavily being considered. The fact that it had managed to fight so well against the Razor had a number in the Reverse Engineering subdivision clamoring for ways to capture it intact, if not necessarily alive.

Emily meanwhile had gone on to explain how a number of the old A-K systems were being reactivated throughout Japan. Having not had a major monster attack in 14 years, most of them had been deactivated due to upkeep costs, such as the energy shields around most major cities with populations exceeding one million. Drone-fighters were being brought back into commission, mecha were being reactivated after years stuck gathering dust, and the mutant soldiers were being armed across the globe. Any monster that tried attacking now would be faced with several gigatons worth of munitions to be unleashed at the discretion of the people who happened to have a rather strong disliking of giant monsters and their activities.

"Well, I suppose that would work. Though I question where you were able to get a JT power core." Himura said, a little worried about the implications of a private organization having a non-nuclear reactor able to put out over 20 gigawatts.

"The manufacturers managed to retain most of their infrastructure despite the damages caused during the attacks, so we managed to buy out the ones that serviced the Australian Jeagers. The power generation has been dropped due to UN regulations, but it's still more than enough to power static defenses like our Disabler." Emily explained.

They continued talking for another hour or so, and Himura found himself liking all of them, even Suzaku. He definitely had a temper, and was a bit insufferable when arguing his vies, but there was no denying that he was brilliant, and the ideas he had for non-lethal monster capture were probably revolutionary. The way the other two treated him, halfway between best friend and respected boss, he couldn't help but respect the man. Not like him, definitely not like him, but certainly respect him.

"Well, no point in wasting the day here." Suzaku said, standing up, the other two joining him. "We have to contact the GMPO about our plans, and get into contact with some of our supporters. We have a great deal to accomplish before the next monster attack."

"What makes you think one will happen anytime soon?" Himura said, more hoping against one than actually expecting it.

Suzaku seemed to pick up on this, and his response wasn't as biting as it could have been. "History. It's never been this easy, and there's no reason to think we will get lucky this time. Maybe if it had been critically injured, we could expect it to not come back, but we're not so fortunate. It _will_ be back, and we need to be ready for it. It has been a pleasure Musashi. I hope your own efforts can succeed. We may need them."

xxxx

Roughly 5.2 billion kilometers away, floating in orbit around Pluto, a large mass of metal sat still, completely silent to the rest of the universe. Aboard, its master stalked through warped halls of stone and dark metal, looking at the subspace display that showed a picture of the life covered planet sitting comfortably in the glow of its star, observing the signals of the over 2000 satellites forming the defensive network. Positions were tracked, signals decoded, schematics disassembled and scanned. The formation had already been fully plotted, now it was simply a waiting game to see how it would fare against the next test being sent against it. With a thought, three holes opened in the outer hull, and each fired a stone projectile, the masses rocketing at a noticeable percentage of the speed of light towards the planet. 40 hours, as the planet measured it, and then things would begin. The ships master smiled. Not much longer now.


	10. Chapter 9

I own nothing. Except this story. Which really isn't saying much. Toho owns Godzilla, Legendary Pictures owns Pacific Rim, and Sunstone Games is there with Kaiju Combat(check it out)

* * *

Himura had enjoyed the remainder of his day, going about to see the attractions, the enormous monuments to the JSDF efforts throughout the decades. He was particularly impressed by the model of the Super X 2, which sat out in front of the hangars where the original likely sat gathering dust. It has been a fairly brilliant idea at the time, a machine that turned Godzilla's own destructive power back on it. Sadly, it hadn't proved up to the task, Godzilla proving more powerful than humanity could counter. The entire Super X project had been an exercise in trying to find creative workarounds to Godzilla's incredible might, rather than attempting to fight it head on. Himura had always thought it had shown amazing potential, but it had sadly been overshadowed by the appearance of the Mecha-Ghidorah, and its eventual reverse-engineering into the MG-02, which had shown amazing results against Godzilla. Even though it had been destroyed, support for a followup brushed the Super X program aside, the original Super X three even being deconstructed for parts in use with the Star Fighter in the Moguera project.

Shaking his head free from his reminiscing, Himura looked over his computer screen back in the science center of the JSDF, looking over his project one last time to ensure it didn't have any errors. With the emergency finally over with, he was finally being put into the position he had been waiting for all this time; submitting his new anti-kaiju design. The original that had gotten his accepted into the research division in the first place had been a modified maser tank design, capitalizing on new technologies out of Europe that improved the base design's range by 12% and boosted power output by 6%. Hardly a revolutionary change, but given the fairly simple modification could be made to the 200+ maser tanks in the JSDF armored division at a relatively low cost, it would have a noticeable impact on anti-monster efforts.

He smiled as he remembered his acceptance letter arriving, finally allowing him to fulfill his lifelong dream. The design he had would be submitting today would no doubt solidify his position, and maybe put him on the fast-track for promotion. He had been working on it far longer than the maser improvement, and had actually stumbled upon the other while researching new methods of improving its combat performance. He had been working on it almost nonstop for the last 4 years, mere months after the Jet Razor had been put into active service and its design specs had appeared, lacking its secret weapons and power systems of course. He had used old designs from the dozens of Jaeger designs, various Japanese anti-Godzilla efforts from a good half dozen private organizations since roughly 1998, and several failed American and Russian designs from 2002-2012. He'd obviously made hundreds of personal improvements himself, along with incorporating any new technologies that popped up during its design. This new machine would be 6.5% faster, equally maneuverable, have improved and slimmed down weapons systems, the missiles replaced by an anti-monster taser for the legs and advanced plasma cannons for the shoulders. The maser designs would obviously incorporate the improvements he'd made on his MT improvements, and he had just finished adding an improvement based on the new cyborg monster. He'd based it on Suzaku's ideas, an improvement to the taser that would add a small EMP on impact that should disable any signal links present.

He made his way through the building, down into the depths of the increasingly enormous structures that must have stretched for miles beneath the JSDF facilities above ground. It made sense, given how most anti-kaiju machines ranged in the dozens of meters, some being absolutely massive. He'd heard Gordon discussing something that, based on what he could piece together about the normal ship docks he'd viewed in the various screens dotting the command center, must have been nearly a kilometer long. He'd never even heard about any anti-monster plans that big, not even incomplete plans. If he had to guess, it was probably a new spaceship of some sort. The logistics of even an ocean craft of that size were painful to think about, especially if it was any sort of weapon.

He made his way down a good 200 meters of hallway before he finally reached the development labs. This place held every design the JSDF had ever made when it came to Godzilla and other monsters. It required maximum level clearance to actually access the computers, everyone else who actually got admitted(such as himself) could only submit designs. Still, that was all he was hear to do. Once it got accepted, he'd be able to actually access some of the secret JSDF technologies on file, and then he'd be able to make some truly impressive designs. He ran his card through the slot in the rather large locking mechanism, scanned both hands, his face, and finally keyed in his personal passcode that worked only for this door. You couldn't say the JSDF weren't serious about security. He made his way inside, sat at a terminal, keyed himself in, plugged in his personal drive, entered the code that allowed outside sources to be submitted, clicked through what he needed to there, and finally uploaded the design into the network. And just like that, he was done. It almost seemed anticlimactic.

Shrugging to himself, he went through everything he needed to to leave, and headed back to his room to store his drive, since he was only authorized to take it into the relevant science rooms, and finally made his way to report into the command center, where he sat down to do more monitoring duties that were required of him when not working on his designs.

xxxx

He was well into his work the next day, looking over a report concerning a giant scorpion outbreak in Africa, when the satellite network picked up three objects approaching the earth. The network lit up, screens across the command center bringing up images and readouts as the maser satellites opened fire and the shield ones turned on, spreading a green field through space to create a complete web around the planet. The three objects hit the field, one slipping through before it could close and the other tow simply breaking through the shields, slightly thrown off course by the collision. The 1st headed straight for the center of China, another spun off towards Africa, and the third landed squarely in the Indian Ocean, several dozen kilometers from the coast of Madagascar.

The alarms were blazing before the first one landed, and Gordon was already shouting for immediate deployment of their fastest response craft, already moving out of the command center towards the quickest route to the main bay for the areal fortresses. The Kazama was already preparing to launch, and several Mokuera units were being loaded for deployment. Messages from the Chinese Defense Forces were already incoming, and the Indian Navy was being moved into position to engage the ocean-bound target. Himura moved into action at his terminal, eyes flashing back and forth from his station to the various screens showing drones being launched to scout out what was happening.

The Earth was under attack, again.

xxxx

**China**

The 1st meteorite crashed roughly 7 kilometers from the Gansu-Sichuan border, in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, subdivision Tewo. It came down in a series of large hills away from any towns, and immediately exploded, a fireball charring an area several kilometers wide to ash, blasting the area clean. From the smoldering crater arose a massive purple creature, looking like something out of the depths of the ocean rather than the far reaches of space. The huge cephalopod-like beast roared a sickening wet screech, its body floating into the air, and flying off in the direction of the Himalayas, directly opposite the capitol.

The Chinese Defense Force tracked its path, hangars already unleashing their counter to the unknown horror. The Chinese had been on of the premier anti-monster factions in the past 30 years, turning their significant resources towards making great weapons to counter the ever growing monster threat. They lacked the well-honed machine of America, or the sheer experience and alien technologies of Japan, but had made up for it in the way they always had.

In numbers.

As they tracked the creature, 5 signals appeared from Chengdu & another 2 from Guagzhou and quickly moved into a intercept path. Whereas the other major countries had moved through dozens of anti-monster projects over the years to counter the threats, China had found a singularly effective method to deal with their massive territory, and used it appropriately. When the International Jaeger Anti-Kaiju Mecha Program had begun, China had thrown in full support, pumping out replacement parts for limbs and low-energy cost weaponry. When the program had been utterly destroyed in 2013, most countries had moved on to recovery and new projects. China, on the other hand, had simply redirected all available Jaeger factories to producing as many as they could before the next major attack. Since the last major kaiju attack in 2015, the UN reported them having as many as 33 Jaeger platforms with some speculation at them having as many as 40.

As the alien creature landed on the snowy peak of Mt. Everest, it let out a cry, as if proclaiming that this highest point in the world was its throne. The half dozen, three-armed, crimson cyclopes flying at mach 4 took acceptation to that, a good 50 rockets flying from back-mounted launchers pounding into the beasts face and shoulders, blasting it from the mountaintop while leavening the mountain itself unharmed. As it fell, the beast righted itself in midair, roaring at the machines now facing it. Rather than engaging, the alien squidthing floated down to grip the side of the peak, and thrust its other hand forward, a loud thrumming hum filling the air. The forward-most Jaeger was pulled forward into the things grasp, its head being crushed into scrap. The body detached, systems blaring, and arched down, unloading its full payload at point blank. The alien thing stumbled back, tearing loose rock and snow, tumbling a few hundred meters down the cliffside before righting itself. The alien swung its hand to the side, the hum growing again, and the crimson mecha was thrown into the air, thrusters firing desperately as it fell to crash against an adjacent peak.

The other machines attacked as soon as the first was clear, opening up with blasts from missile pods and maser turrets, pelting the beast with dozens of explosions. The sheer quantity of firepower made the creature howl in pain, and it clapped its hands together with a roaring hum, slamming two of the machines together. The crumpled wrecks fell to the earth, escape pods firing as their remaining munitions detonated, the two crimson beasts erupting in fireballs.

The triumphant roar from the cephalapoid was cut short when a spinning buzzsaw hand sliced a gash in its shoulder, green viscera flying into the air. The beast howled, and the large blue jewel in its center glowed bright, firing a white beam directly into the machine in front of it. The red metal melted away in an instant, practically vaporized from the power, the human weapon crumbling in on itself. As it fell, the back-mounted third arm came into play, grabbing onto the creatures head, the melted torso detaching. Like a titanic red monkey, the Jaeger swung itself over the beast, its other two arms coming down to grid the tentacle-fan that sprouted from its back. The jagged mouth of the kaiju opened in a mad screech of anger, and the loud humming picked up, rocks flying up from the ground to try and impact the machine, the beasts boneless arms arching back to grip the Typhoon unit by its wrists, tearing it off. As it did, another Typhoon flew into action, performing a diving kick that caught the monster in the chest, launching it back with a surprised yelp and forcing it to let go of its prey.

As the half-machine fell, its ally grabbed it in midair, and flew down to place it next to the remains of the first before turning back to the recovering monster. With only 3 Typhoons remaining to engage the obviously injured creature, the captain in the first downed machine roared an order, and the tri-attack sprang into action. The beast howled, firing its beam again, trying to burn its attackers out of the sky. Instead, they flew to all sides, the thing unable to chose which one to follow. Its hesitation cost it, and the three Typhoons struck from multiple angles, buzzsaw hands pinning and cutting into green and purple flesh, slicing 6 long gashes along its chest, back, neck, and arms. The alien howled, green blood flying in all directions, and the hum turned into a sudden roar, all three machines being slammed into the ground with enough force to shatter their limbs and shake the pilots viciously.

The monster stumbled, woozy and seriously injured from the loss of blood. It howled loud enough to shake a dozen avalanches loose, and slammed a spiked-foot through one of the downed machines, crushing the cockpit and nearly snapping the mecha in half. Another recovered enough to grab its leg, closing the metal hand with all its might, and the boneless flesh crumpled in its grip. The alien roared, slamming its spiked tentacle-arm down on the machines head, tearing a good portion from the upper body and shaking the crew unconscious. It stumbled to one knee, hacking up blood and howling in pain, and the third machine struck, spinning hand tearing a hole in its already injured leg. The entire appendage came off with a wet tearing sound, and the kaiju lurched back, screeching in pain.

It glared at the downed machine, and the gem on its center almost burst with power. The white blast took the machines entire upper body off, leaving a melting pool of slag where it once had been. Stumbling backwards, it fell down the mountain, sliding down the cliffs and crashing into the snow at the bottom. It hacked up more blood, and roared to the sky. A light emerged around the beast, a spinning blue vortex of energy that hefted it into the air, and in a flash of light and vaporizing snow, the monster vanished, leaving the destroyed machines, a trail of green trailing down the mountain, and a slowly shriveling leg behind.

xxxx

**Africa**

The 2nd beast emerged from a similar crater to the 1st a scant 3 kilometers from the Egypt-Sudan border, smoting clean the area it landed, forming a great plain of glass in which the crumbling rock let loose its cargo. Out of the stone and shards came a vicious thing, a reptilian beast covered in hundreds of spikes, electricity crackling from its back and mouth, a roar like a thousand birds of prey renting the sky. Crackling light spilled from its back, and the monster took to the sky, flying towards the north-east.

The African and Egyptian defenses were immediately deployed, maser jets and tanks rolling out to engage, and a huge treaded machine emerged from Heliopolis. Israeli forces were deployed to assist, launched a squadron of fighters to assist, their land forces to slow to hope to engage. Defensive shields raised around Cairo, and the emergency defense satellite Eye of Ra was brought online, targeting the massive biological signature. Halfway to its apparent target, the creature landed, its glow fading, and it ran towards the city, still impossibly fast for a creature so large. The moment it was down, the satellite locked on, awaiting a moment when it would stand still. Still going a good 250kph, the reptilian thing emerged to within visual range of the city, and the defenses opened fire. Dozens of missiles launched, and dozens of tanks unleashed their armor-piercing ammunition. The beast screeched, and flung itself about, dodging missiles and speeding rounds by the dozens, those that impacted it flaring off of a crackling wave of yellow that burst along its jagged hide. The monster howled, and then it was within range of the shield.

Leaping into the air, it came down with a spinning slam from its tail, green energy flaring outward to catch it, forcing it back with incredible power. The monster roared as it was flung back, and leapt again the moment its feet hit the ground. Claws extended from its hands, digging into the shield, and it was blasted back again, claws smoking. The shield flared, standing firm, and the beast screeched. Its back flared with power, yellow light clashing with the green glow of the shield, and it launched itself forward at several times the speed of sound, ramming a hundred spikes into the shield all at one. The sheer speed and force it hit with bent the energy inward, the green light failing against the yellow, and the entire system failed. The beast stood, howling its triumph.

Then the red blast from space traveling .8% the speed of light fell down on it, blasting it with all the fury of an angry god. The creatures howl was drowned out by the roaring energy, sand turned to glass and stone turned to dust, and by the time the light faded there was a steaming hole in the ground where the kaiju had just been. Several moments passed in silence, the only sound being the crackling in the air and the shattering of falling bits of glass. Then, the beast heaved itself up and out of the hole, its back cooked red and its spikes half-melted, its screech louder and more wrathful than before. Its back flared with light, and it practically vanished, tearing a massive tench through half the city, crashing through residences and business with abandon. It ended 4 kilometers from where it began in all of half a second, roaring into the sky.

Then a hundred bolts of gold fell from the sky, pelting the beast with a rain of energy. The screaming fighters shot overhead, their masers recharging, and turned around for another pass. Even as the beast roared at them, a second hailstorm fell on it from behind, the 2nd wing continuing what the 1st had started. The beast flared with more energy and launched itself skyward, barreling through the center of the formation and ramming a dozen planes to death. It spun in the air, screeching and firing golden lightning from its mouth, carving a swath through the first formation. It dashed at the decimated 2nd formation, and just as it was about to reach them, a spiraling round the size of a car came screeching in and slammed into the beasts chest, blasting it off course and sending it crashing into the ground outside the city.

As the creature rose up, the mammoth mobile fortress rumbled into view. The titanic Anti-Kaiju Mobile Fortress Apophis. The 120 meter tall behemoth rolled out of the city, its main gun targeting the monster again and firing, the high-explosive AK round barreled into the beast, knocking it back a hundred meters and cracking one of its spikes. The beast roared, and promptly took a half-dozen maser streams to the face. The creature charge forward, leaping through the air and bringing its scything tail down on the fortress. A split second before it could connect, the machines personal shield flared to life, catching the tail and pushing it back, sending the kaiju twisting away. The monster landed and charge again, raking its claws along the shield, then again, before taking another round to the side, sending it stumbling back again. Yellow ichor dripped from the wound in its side, and the beast lowered its head, dashing forward again. Its armored head bashed against the shield, and even as it was flung back, the light on its back flared to life, a bolt of energy erupting out of its mouth, bursting through the shield and taking the top 10 meters off the machine. The monster stumbled back, roaring its victory, and the light on it faded. It screeched to the sky, proclaiming its victory, only for the machine to almost split in half, revealing a huge blunt barrel in the center. Before it could react, the 5m cannon fired, blasting the monster back with its chest spewing bloody. The creature stumbled, howling, and the power on its back flared, its mouth glowing with energy. As its head aimed down at the fortress, a red beam from the heavens caught it in the back, blasting its spines apart and sending a spray of blood into the air.

The monster spat equal parts energy and blood on the fortress, boiling off a few meters of armor and cooking a number off parts inside, yellow ooze splashing down its side. The creature whined, falling onto its side, gasping for air. As the fortress aimed its few working masers at the monster, a blueish light picked it up, and in vanished in a flash of energy, the side of the fortress facing it melting from the power released. When it faded, the hulking mass of metal and fury was all that was left in the smoking desert.

xxxx

**Indian Ocean**

It was nearly a half hour before the meteorite that crashed into the sea 26 kilometers off the coast of Madagascar let its passenger reach the surface, and by the time it did the Indian Navy had almost moved within range Out of the waves rose a huge red beast, its visage frighteningly similar to the king of the monsters himself. Huge red plates of natural armor gave it the image of a warrior, and the crown of immense horns ringing its head made it seem almost imperial in nature. The wrathful roar it sent out revealed its true nature, and the navy immediately trained their guns on the beast, missiles locking and masers charging. The monster turned to regard them, and something akin to a grin came onto its face.

The red saurian threw its head back, letting loose a titanic roar that split the heavens, and leapt free of the water, falling on the fleet like a vengeful demon.

xxxx

Admiral Gordon looked at the readouts from the monster attacks, nodding in satisfaction. In only half an hour, two of the monsters had been forced back and the third was being engaged. The 1st had suffered 9 casualties, 2 in need of medical attention. The 2nd had been predictably worse, with 23 fighters shot down and a number of the crew on the Apophis dead or injured, not counting the civilian casualties. Still, a hundred+ dead for 2 kaiju was a pretty good day, and as long as this last one was anything like the others, they'd be done before lunch.

"Reroute the Gotengo and Mokuera to aid with the third kaiju, and get the Kazama to the Madagascar in case it turns that way! Now dammit!" He shouted, getting the war machines heading where they were needed.

_Yeah, like it had ever been that easy._


	11. Chapter 10

I. Own. Nothing.

* * *

The first ship went down in seconds, the red beast landing on it with the force of a meteor, slamming into the deck and practically snapping it in half. Claws nearly 10 meters long sliced through the bridge with ease, sending bits of metal stained with red raining into the water. Masers from the other ships were already firing, a dozen golden lances blasting into the deep red plates that formed a natural suit of armor around the beast. It almost seemed to grin at the ships, reveling in the chaos, before it leapt directly onto the nearest ship, performing the same decapitating strike as before.

The beast hopped from ship to ship, slicing away at them, occasionally swinging its massive twin-bladed tail to bisect them completely. The ships finally moved far enough away from each other to maroon the beast on a single sinking ship, forming a half circle around it and targeting it with all weapons. The kaiju roared, pointing at the ships with its great claws, and almost seemed to smile at the gathered forces. Over 60 maser turrets opened fire on the beast, forming a nearly solid wall of golden energy across its front, and the fighters that had been circling for a clear shot unleashed storms of missiles and maser bullets on the armored saurian. The resulting explosion annihilated the ship in a fireball a thousand feet high, debris falling on even the furthest ships.

As the navy circled around to get a more complete formation on the wreckage, a golden blade pierced the water before the forwardmost vessel, slicing it in half in a single blow. Before the other ships could react, a blue light lanced from the water, boring a hole through the keel of one ship before blowing the bridge off another, vanishing far into the sky. Worse than the exacting blast was the shockwave of energy that rippled through the ocean, blasting up huge waves that pushed the ships out of formation, nearly capsizing the smaller vessels. Before any of the crew could begin to recover, the crimson beast hurled itself out of the waves, spinning in midair to fire a blazing burst of energy from the jewel on its forehead to blast several fighters out of the sky, simultaneously passing over a ship and slicing it in half with its tail. It finished its spin just before it hit the water, performing an almost elegant dive back into the waves.

The remaining ships fired torpedoes and masers into the water, trying to keep track of the beast that was tearing them apart. Another blue beam cut a swath through the closest formation of ships, blasting three into flaming wrecks and another into a slowly sinking corpse.

xxxx

The JSDF forces that had been rerouted to aid the Indian Navy arrived just in time to see the last of the ships sink beneath the waves and the beast haul itself onto the shores of Madagascar, roaring its triumph to the heavens. Gordon watched from his command chair, sparing a quick glance down at Himura nearby, the young man transfixed with the sinking wrecks and pillars of smoke.

_Damn, too late. Well, we're not letting you go that easy you gecko._

"Get the Kamaza surfaced, asap! And tell the Gotengo to move around to the far coast for a two-pronged offensive. Tell it not to go areal until the monster is safely engaged! I don't want it shot down before it has a chance to bore a hole straight through this lizard!" He shouted, watching the commands being sent.

He gripped the arm of his chair, watching as the forces under his command closed with the armored kaiju. This one clearly wouldn't be as easy as the other two.

xxxx

The massive anti-kaiju submarinal-fortress _Kazama_ rose from the surf a few kilometers off from the inland bound beast, its deck opening up to reveal its weapons systems. Whereas the Indian Navy had been equipped with the older style masers, not yet upgraded with the more advanced weapons that had been intended to phase out the fleet of ships, the Kazama was outfitted with the most up-to-date maser weapons, along with a special surprise. The 4 massive guns along its front aimed at the retreating figure of the monster, and 8 golden streams erupted from the short, clear barrels, traveling the distance in the blink of an eye.

The monster had barely made it ten paces onto land before its back exploded in a conflagration of golden fire, the masers searing into the plates on its back with incredible force. The monster roared, stumbling forward, sinking to its knees under the assault. As it made to rise, a rain of huge missiles struck it, bodily lifting it up and tossing it hundreds of meters through the air to crash into the trees. As it rose smoking from the forest, the crimson beast raised its gaze to the sky, and was met with an unprecedented sight.

4 silver machines descended from the clouds, beaked fronts contracting and shifting to form odd heads atop rounded upper bodies. The wings folded back to let the thrusters position to hover in place, and the forward guns changed to pointed arms. The huge jets on the back shifted down into short legs, allowing them to float in the air a few hundred meters above the surf. The Mokuera units locked onto the red dragon, arms extending their spiral missile launchers, maser eyes locking on, shoulder-mounted missile launchers targeting apparent weak points, and the stomach-aligned plasma strikers charging to unleash 100 kilotons of energized hell each. The beast blinked at them, before a demonic grin took hold on its face, and it roared at the machines.

A hailstorm of fire rained down on the beast, and it flung itself aside a second before it was struck. It landed hard, plates shaking, but avoided the majority of the assault, roaring at them as the blue jewel glowed. A blue light exploded from its forehead, enough to push its head back, a ring of blue exploding perpendicular to the energy spear that screamed at the leftmost Mokuera. The machine fired its plasma striker, the purplish beam meeting the blue one head on, and for an instant, they clashed. Then the short-lived plasma faded, and the blue pushed through, weakened, but not by enough. It tore a hole through the giant mech, blasting clear out its back and searing away the lower end of the thrusters that kept it hovering. The machine fell back, sputtering, And the other three fired their strikers before anything else could happen.

3 purple-white beams fell on the monster before it could react, taking it in the chest in a huge explosion. The monster was pushed back furiously, feet digging huge trenches in the land and throwing clouds of dirt into the air, before it toppled back with a howl of pain. It lay on its back in the midst of broken trees, three still glowing rings burned into its armored chest, smoking with the sheer energy that had blasted it more than a kilometer backwards. The Mokuera flew overhead, floating parallel to the downed beast, arms whirring, and unleashed their spiral missiles. The most powerful missiles that had ever been constructed to fight monster, taking elements from the FM and Drill missiles from the early 2000's, the missiles could pierce through all but the hardest armor, before unleashing their massive payload within. The 6 silver streaks fell on the monster, sure to tear bloody holes through its smoking gut.

Moments before they connected, the beast roared, firing its energy spear upwards, catching three of the missiles and boring a hole through the neck of a Mokuera, the remote signal cutting and the machine falling to the ground. The shockwave sent the other missiles off course, crashing to either side of it. The beast hefted itself up, smirking at the machines above it.

"Aw shit." Gordon swore, knowing what was coming next.

The beast roared and leapt into the air, grabbing onto one of the remaining two before it could maneuver away. The huge tail swung, cutting the machine in half at the waist, and even as it fell the monster leapt free. It landed with a crash, beams lancing into its back from the remaining unit, glowing lines cutting into its back. The monster spun, tail lancing out to try and impale the machine, but it had managed to shift into fighter-mode and sped out of the way. The monster turned, and as the jewel on its head charged a burst of golden fire took it into the back, pushing it down at causing its blast to detonate in the jungle. The Kazama cycled its masers for another shot at the crimson monster, its special weapon now almost fully charged.

The red monster growled, clearly annoyed at not getting a straight fight, and ducked low, avoiding the stream of missiles the Mokuera unit fired at it from the side. It jumped to intercept the silver machine, its long tail slicing upwards into the mechs path. It veered away, the long tail-blade clipping its side, smoke and fluids pouring free from the black line dug across the gleaming metal. The machine made to break away, clearly unable to put up a fight against so heavily armored a foe. The red beast grinned, jewel glowing again, aiming to finish the last of the nuisances. As it made ready to fire, a green glow came from the sea, and its gaze descended to see the Kazama making ready to fire a massive cannon that stuck throughout its entire center. Its eyes widened in shock, and it threw itself into a defensive stance, drawing its gauntlet-like forearms up to defend itself.

The massive green blast took in square on, the giga-maser destroyer unleashing nearly a solid megaton of blazing energy every second onto its hunkered target. For 6 seconds, the area for over a dozen kilometers was bathed with green, the shoreline and forest turned to a smoldering line of melted ground and boiled ocean. All sound seemed burned away by its power, and any cries the red dragon made were drowned away in emerald light. At last the light faded, and a glowing red line marked the path the blast had taken, ending in a huge crater that glowed with fading green fire and a mass of smoldering flesh.

Those aboard the Kazama stood silently, awaiting the results of their efforts, and Gordon sat impatiently to see if they'd managed to burn the beast off the face of the earth. Nearly a minute passed without activity, and all those aboard the Kazama and the command center breathed sighs of relief, looking at each other with grins. Gordon just watched. Then the front of the smoking mass fell away, the crimson plates cracked and melted against the assault. And yet the red flesh beneath was unharmed, and the dragon rose up, body smoking and spikes drooping from the heat, a wrathful howl filling the sky. Its eyes almost glowed red as the blue beam it had been preparing all that time launched out, almost throwing the beast itself back as it crashed into the emerald shields of the Kazama. The green shell flared for a moment before it shattered, the blue beam cutting over the top of it and boiling the deck from its power. The power levels on the submarine-fortress fell away, and the crew sent it sinking back into the waves away from the angry monster.

It watched the human weapon retreat, roaring half in hate and half in pain, before it turned and began trudging the way it had been going in the first place, inland and towards the other side of the island, its step slower and pained than it had been before.

Gordon just watched from the camera drones that hovered in the clouds, swearing to himself as one of their greatest weapons had failed to put this thing down. And yet, he couldn't help but notice that in spite of its clear injuries, it hadn't retreated like the other two had monsters had.

_What's your game, reptile. What are you bastards after?_

xxxx

The titanic beast finally emerged onto the far shore, the smoke having finally stopped spilling off its boiled armor. It hurt more than it had in a long time, but that was not what had caused its wrath. These foes had not faced it head on, through diversion and distance had they attacked it, afraid to face it directly. His anger flared as he thought of it, crushing a group of trees with far more force than was necessary. It had come for a real fight, and it hadn't gotten that so far.

As it finally stepped into the waters that would lead it to its objective, a black form rose from the waters. He stopped, looking at this things vicious form, and couldn't help but grin. Larger than those silver things, it faced him directly, great teeth barred before him like a hungry predator. Its massive form hung above the water, its lithe shape sleek and deadly. Here truly was a foe that looked to provide a real challenge.

The beast roared his challenge, a grin spreading across his face, and his foe answered.

Ozaki looked out from the view screens at the beast before him, nodding to himself and his crew as he made ready for battle.

"If you want a fight, I'll give you one. Gotengo, prepare to engage!"


	12. Chapter 11

Nope, still don't own anything.

* * *

The Gotengo. Humanity's most legendary anti-kaiju weapon. The very first machine designed specifically to combat the giant monster threat. It had begun as nothing but a particularly advanced submarine, repurposed for project Atragon and equipped with a massive drill weapon that contained the first model of AZ cannon. It had been redesigned for anti-Godzilla operations, the AZ cannon made after the 2nd Godzilla had been successfully contained within an iceberg at the end of GI-02. When Godzilla had reemerged, the Gotengo had been sped into completion, and deployed immediately for the its appearance.

Then the Mu incursion had happened, and the Gotengo had been deployed to defeat them. It had succeeded in destroying their advanced navy, and disabling their monster Manda. Unfortunately, the destruction of Mu had resulted in massive damages to the weapon, and by the time it was repaired, anti-Godzilla efforts had been canceled to deal with the continuous alien invasions. Gotengo had been successfully deployed thereafter to deal with any ocean-bound monsters and other threats, including the Gargatuas, the Red Bamboo terrorists, Hedorah, and had been essential in the capture and transfer of more than a dozen monsters to the kaiju containment facility, Monster Island.

After operation DAM in 1978, Gotengo was placed under the command of Captain D. Gordon, who took it on a series of successful campaigns against monsters throughout the world being tracked by the young professor Quinn Darien and the crew of the _Calico_. These events took place over a period of three years, completing in 1981 until the continued damages to the Gotengo and the costs of deploying it proved too great, and the project was finally discontinued after a solid year of no monster attacks. Despite protests from Gordon and his crew, the Gotengo was placed in a JSDF base and forgotten, replaced by the all-purpose A-K initiative, Super X.

Then, in 1984, a new Godzilla attacked Japan. The Super X program proved mildly effective, and continued throughout the decade, along with several other anti-kaiju projects. Finally, in 1995, with G-03 dead and G-04 rampaging across Japan, the Gotengo, under Captain Gordon, was deployed in an effort to contain it. After nearly three and a half decades, the Gotengo was finally being put to its original purpose.

Fight Godzilla.

Over the course of a week, Godzilla was successfully lured to the South Pole, where the Gotengo managed to trap it under billions of tonnes of ice. Despite its success, the Gotengo was critically damaged, and after 34 years of fighting kaiju, the original Gotengo was scrapped.

Having learned there lessons last time, work was immediately put into designing a new Gotengo using 35 years of technological advancement. Combined with the remnants of the Super X 4, the new Gotengo was flight-capable, equipped with advanced maser turrets, and ten times tougher than the last one had been. In 2003, after the apparent demise of the mutated G-02, the Gotengo was deployed, spearheading the EDF initiative.

It successfully defended the earth for the next 34 years, proving instrumental in the defeat of the Xilien rebel attack in operation Final War, and aided in the defense of over 30 cities throughout operation Save the Earth. It was upgraded in 2006 with X-titanium to better deal with the alien invaders, only to be commandeered by the rogue general Gyozen for a mad attack on Godzilla. Despite the failure of the attack and the arrest of Gyozen, the Gotengo had proved able to put up a fight with the strongest monster on the planet, and would prove time and again its effectiveness over the next 20 years.

Now, it sat floating above the surf of the Mozambique Channel, facing off against a monster that looked rather like Godzilla in a suit of samurai armor. Commander Shin'ichi Ozaki sat in his chair, looking at the monitor that showed the leviathan creature that had just torn through 640 billion yens worth of JSDF military might and naval assets. The advanced scanners worked to study the beast, pointing out damages and dangers, places to attack and evade. It was clearly injured, three large circles burned in its chest, back and head spikes broken and bent, its arms completely bare of the tough armor that served as its main defense.

_A forward attack is the most likely to inflict critical damage, but also the most dangerous approach._ Ozaki thought as he studied the readings, ready for any sign of the creatures movements. _Clearly, long range attacks are asking to be countered by that powerful beam, and trying to sweep in from behind will just go against that armor it has. We need to test our luck against it before going in for the kill._

Ozaki nodded, deciding on his course of action. "Alright, engage masers, power of the drill, and put thrusters to eighty percent. We're going in!"

xxxx

The kaiju stood still, several seconds passing as the black beast just floated there, spiked head gleaming. Was it just going to sit there and watch him? Was it weighing him, taking his measure, looking for weakness? It wasn't afraid, or else it would have stayed submerged until he had passed over. It had deliberately given up a tactical advantage to face him head on. He grinned at that, toothy maw splitting in a pleased growl. Here was a foe that would give him a good fight.

The moment he took a step forward, his enemy dashed to the side, fire exploding from its limbs, and golden light burst from its back. he raised his shield in defense, his forearms now unable to take the damage, and watched it circle him. Aiming to get behind him? He swung his tail, intent on cutting it in half at range. Before it reached where his tail would intercept it, the metal beast unleashed fire from its right side, stopping its movements in that direction and unleashing more gold at his face, chest, and legs. It had tricked him, gotten him to abandon his defense so that it had a clear shot. Clever foe, a true intellect, unlike those foolish creatures who had attacked before. This one knew how to fight.

He ducked his head, blocking the blast with the natural helmet he had, letting his chest and limbs take the brunt. He knew it was not enough to damage him sufficiently and took advantage of that, pressing his powerful legs into the ground and launching himself at the black creature. He spun, his tail pulling in a tight circle and extending to maximize the speed of his attack.

The Gotengo fired its upper thrusters, aiming down and to the left to scrape underneath the scything tail, before pushing full throttle directly at the monster. The drill spun up, and a burst of ice shot out from the tip, blasting the kaijus front with frost. It stumbled back, growling loudly, and tried to swipe its claws through the deck of the Gotengo as it past. Ozaki gave the command, and the thin machine angled so that it was drifting around the beast in a parallel arch, its thin profile allowing the claw to pass by with dozens of meters to spare. The AZ cannon fired again, blasting the arms shoulder and freezing it in its extended position, the vulnerable forearm exposed.

"Now, turn and fire broadside!" Ozaki roared, the Gotengo following his command.

The Gotengo used what remained of its initial inertia to turn back to its charge, firing halfway into the turn when it s side fully face the arm. The golden beams lanced out and struck the red flesh, searing smoking lines into the beasts now vulnerable hide. The monster roared, shattering the ice with its convulsions, and threw itself to the side, body checking the human machine. The force of the blow sent the black weapon sliding through the arm, its left side visibly dented from the force of the blow.

Ozaki strained the psychic controls to push the Gotengo back into a stable flight, allowing the crew to focus on firing the masers and monitory the damages. A stream of powerful missiles sped out of the pods they had been stored in, firing straight up and raining down on the beast in a hail of explosions. The masers cut into its back, but were unable to do sufficient damage to the nigh-impenetrable armor.

He spun, roaring in excitement at how skilled his foe was. It had not only managed to evade his strikes, but wound him at the same time, and wasn't destroyed by his followup attack. Truly, this was what he had been searching for. Maybe this time...

The red monster reared back, forehead jewel glowing blue, his gaze tracking the metal beast closely. Let us see how you deal with this. The blue spear of energy fired out, pushing his head back with the force of it, and barreled into his foe's side. An energy shield flared, a golden shell crackling over the onyx plating, doing its best to minimize the destructive force assaulting it. As his burst faded, he couldn't help but be impressed by its defense. This foes defense was truly remarkable, surely this was the world elite warrior, come to meat it where its lessers had failed. He charged, almost flying over the ground as he closed, lancing his tail forward to impale the black creature.

Ozaki watched, making note of the Gotengo's energy reserves and damage readouts. Attack like this would gain them anything, and it seemed like this beasts stamina was limitless. He had to pull a finishing move out now, before they no longer had the power to do so. Shouting his command, he psychically transferred energy from the masers to the main drill, spinning it up as quickly as he could. The moment it closed within 500 meters, he made his move. Pushing the rear thrusters to maximum, the Gotengo charged forward to meat the crimson beast head on.

He watched it come, face splitting in a grin as the smaller thing charged at him, teeth barred and roaring. His tail met the spinning tip, the lethal blades clashing with the tough metal. The twisting head knocked his blades away, to slice along the top of the creature, digging a shallow groove in its back. He reflexively swung his arms inward, slamming his palms into the black beasts sides and halting its forward motion as the metal bent inwards under his incredible strength. He grinned manically, blood pumping in his head, straining to crush the smaller beast in his grip. Then, that blood poured out of his mouth, the bladed head finally stopping its rotation halfway through his gut. His grip failed, arms slumping to his sides.

At last, a foe so strong. Truly, he had found it at last! He gazed down at the smaller thing biting into his stomach, fangs spread in a toothy grin. This fight was-

The white light came about him, a perfect sphere forming from the top down. No, not yet, he had nearly-! He knew what would happen if the smaller creature remained attached to him, and so grabbed it with all his might, tearing it out of his gut with a spray of blood. With all his might, he flung it away, the flying beast shooting away from him, his own fluids dripping from its head. So close.

And then the crimson beast was gone, a smoldering crater where it had been.

xxxx

Gordon watched as the last of the monster vanished as the other two had, not sure whether to grin or to swear. This one had practically been disemboweled, and was sure to die unless it had regeneration on par with Godzilla himself. Which given its looks, was an unfortunate possibility. Sighing, he pressed the button that put him in to the Gotengo.

"Ozaki, nice work. Head back to base. We're done for the day."

He stood up, knowing he'd be wanted to give a report within the next hour, and would want to meet Ozaki in the hangar once the Gotengo returned to get his assessment on what the hell just happened. He took a quick glance at everyone in the room, lingering half a second longer on Himura, before walking out the door.

_I'm getting too old for this shit._

Suzaku stood at his own terminal in the Capture subdivision, already planning on what to do with this new development. Successfully capturing one of these creatures for study would require a way to prevent whatever alien source was teleporting them to safety from doing that. That would require some extremely heavy thinking. He would need to contact a few people to see if that would even be possible, or rather, who would agree to help him with making it possible. He'd have a lot to talk about with Weiss and Eriksson.

_And Himura._ He thought to himself, still thinking about the copy of the man's maser improvement submission he'd obtained. _I'm going to need him for what comes next._


	13. Chapter 12

Himura finished his day in relative silence, not sure what to think of the day. Three monsters had attacked, all appeared to have been critically injured, all had escaped through some form of teleportation. Human casualties were just over a hundred, a spectacular number of three separate attacks. EDF forces proved just barely adequate against them, but considering that the entire situation was resolved within 2 hours, it could be called nothing but a resounding success. But despite all of that, none of the monsters had been confirmed killed.

He sat in his room that night with a small plate of food he'd gotten from the cafeteria, not feeling up for social interactions at the moment. He just kept thinking about the images he'd watched as he had sat at his station, unable to do anything from his position a thousand miles from the action. The squidlike thing with those powers, the spiked beast like living lightning, and the red beast that looked like Godzilla but fought like a trained warrior. Some of the greatest weapons made by man had proved just barely enough to push them back. His design could have killed any of them, he knew, but with the way things were going, his long dreams of seeing his weapon killing monsters across the globe seemed further away than it had when he had been working on it through his bachelors years. Budget would be put into getting many of the older but still operational weapons into active service, and updating as many existing machines with the latest weapons to better combat these monsters.

He felt useless, unable to do anything at all. He was just barely into the JSDF at this point, still too new to even know all of the happenings about the civilian levels, he didn't have any clearance to check on any projects even slightly restricted, and it would take months before he could make another complete design to submit. Seniority had serious advantages in a scientific field like this, and it would probably be years before he could hope to be anything more than a glorified grunt, short of his design fast-tracking him to the higher echelons of the research division. And even that would take months before he could hope for even preliminary tests on his Jet Stinger.

He polished off the last of his rice with a sigh, changing and hopping into bed.

_I can't do anything about it._ He mused to himself. _I'll just have to do my job, and hope an opportunity presents itself._

xxxx

He entered the command center the next day, sure they'd need everyone they could get to handle everything that was no doubt happening around the world. He was halfway to his station when he was stopped with a call from behind him.

"Himura, front and center." Gordon shouted over at him, looking at him expectantly.

Obviously not keen to piss off the legendary admiral, he hurried over and did his best to remember if he was supposed to solute or not. "Sir!"

"At ease kid." Gordon said, handing him a clipboard. "Sign this."

Not sure what he was supposed to be signing, he scrawled his signature on the line, and handed it back to Gordon.

"Thanks kid. Best of luck on your assignment." The old man said, sitting back down. "Report to the main hall."

"Umm, assignment sir?" Himura asked, utterly confused.

"You heard me, kid. Now move your ass before I move it for you." The man barked.

"Y-yes sir!" Himura said, running off back the way he'd come in the first place, scared out of his wits.

Gordon looked after the young scientist and the moment he passed through the door he let our a chuckle, grinning to himself.

"Sir, that was cruel to the kid." Ozaki said from his side, shaking his head.

"Eh, give me a break, I needed a laugh. 'sides, we're not gonna be seeing him for the next few months, so I wanted to give him a proper goodbye. Heh." Gordon smirked.

"Yes, of course sir."

xxxx

Himura arrived in the central hall, looking around for any sign of what he was supposed to be doing, some superior to give him his orders. Instead, he saw someone he hadn't been expecting, nor did he particularly want to see him in the first place.

"Greetings Himura, you are looking well." Suzaku said, standing up from the chair he'd been sitting in. "Come with me."

He was already walking to the front door before Himura's thoughts could catch up with him.

"Hold on, what's going on exactly? I was told to report here for an assignment."

"Yes, exactly." Suzaku said as if it was obvious. "You're to accompany me. Did you not read your assignment?"

"I didn't have time to." Himura said, suppressing a scowl. "I was just told to get here."

"Well then, that is enough. Come on, we do not want to be late. The jet leaves in twenty minutes."

Himura was just starting to follow him when the words clicked. "Jet? What jet?"

"The jet to China." Suzaku said, looking at Himura with a glare. "Now hurry up or you are going to make me miss my own mission."

xxxx

They arrived out on the upper hanger area, a relatively small series of buildings compared to the cavernous ones that held the JSDFs immense machines. This one was purely for visiting officials and emergency craft, helicopters and a few private aircraft. Currently sitting in along one of the larger runways was a 30m long white aircraft, oddly bulky and with a large logo on the side that almost made Himura stumble.

"GMPO." He said, eye twitching slightly. "You have a private jet."

"No, actually, it is not my private jet, although I do own it. This is one of the GMPO's science craft, a mobile aerial center for surveying monster sights without having to land. Highly advanced sensors, equipped with a number of air and land drones for closer inspection while retaining distance and safety, several anti-monster defenses including a sonic array and chemical repellents, and a highly-efficient fuel system that allows nearly sixty hours of continuous flight without refueling." Suzaku said, with noticeable pride. "We are taking it because it not only fulfills all of the requirements for our mission, but also reduces the burden on the JSDFs forces."

"You still haven't told me what the mission is or why I'm needed for it." Himura said, looking at the plane with a critical eye.

"Our mission, if you are so impatient to know, is to take a small team of scientists to study the monster attack sights, primarily the one in China and the Himalayas. Those scientists include myself, yourself, and them." Suzaku said as they entered into the craft, revealing 4 people already seated.

Two of them Himura already knew and had honestly been expecting, the others he hadn't seen before.

"Dolph Weiss, Emily Eriksson, Takahata Kazehime, and Joseph Alexander. This is Himura Musashi, our final member." Suzaku said, sitting himself at the center of the circle of seats that sat in the center of the cabin, surrounded by machines of all sorts. "Suzumiya, get us going, we should be at the first sight within twenty two hours." He called forward to the pilot.

Himura took an available seat beside Alexander, looking around at the ridiculously equipped airplane. It looked like it should have belonged to one of the JSDF commanders. More than a dozen readouts showed everything from world maps to what seemed to be official JSDF reports on the attacks, weather patterns and timezones, flight time and a full readout of the plane, showing at least two dozen systems Himura knew weren't normal equipment. The layout of the seats struck him as something straight out of a command center, and this feeling was just reinforced when a 3-d display emerged from the ceiling, displaying a large grid of the Madagascar sight, showing the monsters path, area damages, even JSDF intercept routs and locations of units lost.

"Now then, we have plenty of time on this flight, so we might as well go over everything for those of you who have any questions." Suzaku said, not bothering to glance at Himura despite him knowing that was where the statement was directed. "Our duty will be to examine the landing sight in China, before landing at the Himalayan sight and investigating the sight of the battle between the unknown monster and the Chinese forces. We'll be making a detour over the Madagascar sight to drop some drones to gather data, but the JSDF is going to conduct a more comprehensive survey of the sight itself. We'll be spending roughly six weeks on sight, baring any unforeseen circumstances of revelations, and Takahata, Alexander, and Himura will remain on sight fulfilling your assigned goals. Weiss, Eriksson and I will be leaving for roughly two weeks to meet a contact of ours in a nearby location. Any questions"

Himura thought for a moment, before deciding he'd go with his initial question. "Why exactly am I being brought along? I'm not part of any of the subdivisions that would normally be assigned to something like this, and I would think my presence would be needed to help design countermeasures in case any of those three monsters return."

"Simple. You are coming because I requested it." Suzaku said simply.

"And why would you do that? What can I contribute?"

"That remains to be determined, which is one of the reasons you are coming. I have looked over your records, and I am impressed. I believe that despite whatever differences in philosophy and objective we have, you could prove to be a useful asset in this endeavor." Suzaku said, bordering on a grin. "Besides, I believe that our objective would prove highly interesting to someone like you."

"I'm guessing you don't mean studying the sight." Himura said, trying to guess at what the man was playing at. "I'm guessing you mean the GMPOs objective, or rather, one you haven't told me about."

"That is correct." Suzaku said, now actually grinning. "Our objective is one that had been ongoing since long before the GMPO was founded, long before I was born in fact. The one that has been plaguing scientific and curious minds since the first Godzilla incident in nineteen fifty four. The reason why, after the invention of the nuclear bomb, a history of unmolested humanity suddenly found itself faced with impossible creatures and living legends. How since the appearance of Godzilla, there have been more than a hundred monsters seemingly randomly popping into existence in ways that defy all logic. How studies ranging from ten thousand years to a hundred million have discovered monster presences of one kind or another. I am talking about the objective of humanity, to discover why monsters exist, how long they have existed, how they come into existence at all."

Suzaku bent over, as if confiding some great secret, and Himura watched everyone else lean in as well, the looks in Dolph's and Emily's eyes like fire. He himself couldn't help but lean in, now fully captivated by the dour mans sudden enthusiasm.

"I am talking about the secret of the monsters themselves and how it dates back long before humanity. The reason behind this Age of Monsters."


	14. Chapter 13

Nothing is owned. Nothing will ever be owned. Move along.

* * *

Himura felt the slightest change as they flew over the Madagascar sight and released the drones, a tiny shift in weight and then direction. Just a tiny change, only noticeable if you were looking for it, and then they were off to their real objective. Their flight was supersonic in places that didn't interfere with civilian locations or other flightpaths, so they'd arrive at their destination in just over ten hours. It was a smooth trip, and Himura appreciated the comforts. The most he'd ever been on was a civilian flight aboard the continental flights to different parts of Japan during his studies. This thing looked like a pregnant whale, but it had the grace that most craft could only hope to have.

He'd spent most of his time in silence, thinking over the events that had transpired to send him on this assignment, but after about three hours he'd started conversing with the others on the plane. He'd started with the two he knew, primarily Dolph, who always seemed eager to talk about pretty much anything.

Dolph had been one of the founding members of the GMPO along with Suzaku, serving primarily as the organizations spokesperson and the man who pitched to prospective business partners and sponsors. He also brought classic German engineering principal, making sure that all projects were designed to the highest standards with no corners cut.

"We deal with quality, no quantity." He'd said, smiling as he spoke. "You don't get to be a large and respected organization without ensuring you're the best at what you're doing, especially when it comes to giant monster."

He'd talked on for a bit, showing knowledge in an impressive array of fields. Aside from his heavy knowledge in engineering, he'd also shown an impressive knowledge of technologies used throughout the JSDF and American A-K operations, a surprising detailed understanding of multiple kaiju biologies, and even an intimate knowledge of Jaeger operations. When questioned on this, he'd revealed something that had made Himura double-take. Despite his appearance of a young twenty-something, Dolph was nearly 43 years of age, and had spent nearly a decade working in the Russian anti-monster operations division based out of Moscow.

"My family was wealthy back in the early days of the King serum, something both my father and mother took. Apparently, that longevity passed onto me, with the greater effect of coming from two individuals. My life expectancy is well over one hundred and forty years." He said, smiling at the stunned look on Himura's face.

After that exciting talk, he'd moved on to talk to Emily. Compared to Dolph, she was much more reserved, but in an intellectual way. Recently 31 in age, she hadn't been a founding member but had signed on less than a year after the companies creation, and had quickly risen through the then tiny organization to eventually serve as "Mr. Miyamoto's" personal assistant. Her own story was significantly less dramatic than Dolph's, but still served to show how interesting the DMPO was. Fresh out of the International College of Monster Studies in Tokyo, she'd scored consistently in the top 5 of all her classes, a classic straight-A student who bordered on genius with an IQ of 178 and a creative talent that would put a good deal of art majors to shame.

"Not that any of that means much to be honest." She said as she looked over some information the drones had been gathering. "This position requires much more diplomacy and selling our ideas than it does revolutionary design. We have seven decades of experience to draw on, now we simply have to turn it to non-lethal use and research."

The other two weren't members of the DMPO, but JSDF personal sent along to offer assistance and make this an actual JSDF operation. Kazehime Takahata was a senior member of the Monster Research division who was serving as the official leader for the mission as far as paperwork would be concerned, and to offer an experienced hand in examining the sight. The other, Joseph Alexander, was one of the newer members that had signed up only a few months before them, and had yet to go on a field assignment that would allow him to be eligible for promotion later on, and would serve for most of the grunt work during the assignment, something to which he just shrugged and said was all part of the job.

Considering everything that was happening, Himura considered himself lucky to be working with such an amicable and even group, which should alleviate some of the difficulty of working at almost 9 kilometers above sea level in the freezing cold investigating charred monster bits and bits of multi-tonne shrapnel. Deciding that there wasn't much left to do until they arrived in about 4 hours, Himura extended his seat into a half-bed, and did his best to take a nap for the remainder of the flight.

xxxx

They landed a few miles from the base of the mountain, at a relatively flat space of ground that the plane could set down at. It turned out the plane had very slight VTOL capabilities, just enough to get them to the mountain range itself. As Himura gathered his things to prepare to disembark, he got his next surprise. The bulky bits on the outside of the plane unfolded large treads emerging and the tail sweeping up to serve as something like a watch tower.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." He said as the plane-turned-mobile-base begun its slow rumble towards the base of the mountain.

"The GMPO spared no expense when it came to the _Odysseus_." Said Emily, checking the readouts that showed a successful transformation. "It's the only science vessel we have that can transform like this, but we should be able to outfit another two by the end of the year."

"What _are_ you people?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"We're a tad eccentric." Answered Dolph with a grin.

"You'd be amazed at the sorts of technologies that exist for those that have enough money." Emily said, nodding in satisfaction at the readouts. "People don't bat an eye at a hundred meter war machine with energy weapons, and yet a multiform aircraft stuns them. It's rather funny if you think about it."

"Alright, here is the plan." Suzaku spoke from the front of the cabin. "Takahata, Alexander, and Himura. The three of you will search for any biological samples of the creature, and contain them within the drones that will serve as your assistants. Weiss, Eriksson and I will take the _Odysseus_ to a designated point up the mountain to serve as our base of operations for this assignment. We will be looking for any residual energy signatures and scanning the Jaeger remains for any additional information. In three days, I will be taking Eriksson and leaving to meet a contact seven kilometers from here. If all goes as planned, I will return in three weeks with my contact, who will then accompany us back to the JSDF. If you discover anything critical, contact Mr. Suzumiya aboard the _Odysseus_ and he will bring it to you for large sample retrieval or if you require sending a message back to JSDF command. Everything else should serve as a standard operation. That is all."

xxxx

Himura and the other two were dropped off roughly two kilometers from the landing sight, at the edge of the massive crater that was all that remained of the beast's escape. The severed limb had been taken by the remaining Chinese jaegers for study, which left them with searching for bits of flesh carved off by the buzz saws or blasted off by missiles. The creatures blood had already turned into a frozen mass of green crystal that dotted the mountainside like an oozing forest, and a chunk was removed and placed in the _Odysseus_ before it continued up the mountain. The tail-tower detached before it made its assent, serving as a small base for the three, a cramped thing that at least kept them warmer than out in the snow.

For someone who had been hoping to work in a lab deep underground on the next weapons for humanities fight against the monsters, working thousands of kilometers away in a field of snow on the side of a mountain searching for bits of charred alien squidthing. Still, it could be worse. He certainly felt like he was accomplishing something, and he'd never complain about a boring day in the command center again after this. As he rode through the snow on the back of the chair-sized drone that was collecting his samples, he couldn't help but gaze up at the mountain that loomed above him. He'd seen plenty of pictures before, watched the footage of the attack here, and stood bellow Mt. Fuji more than once, but this was truly the first time he'd ever felt so small. Even the largest monster seemed miniscule in comparison, dwarfed by this monolith of rock and ice. Even the King of the Monsters would feel small if he stood here, gazing up at the roof of the world standing high above him.

He didn't know why, but he found that thought comforting. Even after all the monsters and mutants and alien invasions, the earth always found a way to be grander, more majestic, more impressive. He took a deep breath, lungs practically freezing with the frosty air filling them, and smiled.

_Yeah, this is worth defending._

xxxx

Suzaku sat on the cold stone with his legs crossed, eyes closed as he waited. Two weeks had proved more than enough time to find all the samples he could need, and he had moved to deploy advanced sensors that would hopefully be able to pick up the various energy signatures associated with the creature. The energy it has used to manipulate what appeared to be gravity, the beams it had fired from its body, whatever had picked it up and teleported it clear out of earth's sensor field. With the drones deployed and the _Odysseus_ re-geared towards scanning for anomalies, he'd taken the other his comrades and 3 ATVs and headed for the rendezvous site.

He'd been there two days already, taking in the quiet atmosphere of the mountain monastery that served the tiny group of unnamed monks on Mt. Changtse. Those that knew of them outside often called them the Changtse monks or the monks of the North Peak, but they themselves went without names, both personally and for their group. Even the monastery itself was unnamed. Suzaku himself had only been here twice, but preferred to follow the monks decision. If asked for the location, he'd simply say it was the "Monastery with no name."

He sat gazing out at the other mountains, some taller, some shorter than the one he was on. Everest itself was out of view, about 50 degrees around the left side of the mountain. The cold was comforting, bracing, the harsh winds blocked by the cliffs on either side, which made this a good spot for meditation. He himself had tried to learn it, but had proven too active for such things. It still helped to just sit and do nothing for a few hours, lost in a thoughtless haze that left him feeling at one with...he wasn't sure what, but it felt right.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard soft footsteps padding along the stones behind him, steps he knew belonged to the person he'd been waiting for. Abnormally soft with no effort put into being so.

"Mara. It has been some time." He spoke, not turning around.

"Indeed it has, Suzaku." The woman spoke as she sat beside him, not making a sound despite her loose robes and the soft layer of snow. "I had hoped you would return under less serious circumstances, but it cannot be helped."

"Yes, I am sorry that such circumstances brought me here, but I need your help. You saw the fight between the Chinese and the monster, yes?"

"Indeed, from a nearby peak. I was going to intercede, but it proved unnecessary."

"That is for the best. It is better to keep your presence a secret while we are able. It may prove essential for what is to come."

"So I will go with you to Japan then, as planned?"

"Yes. Pack what you plan to bring, we will be leaving in the morning."

"Very well." She said, unmoving. "So, shall we spend what is likely to be our last peaceful hours together in meditation?"

"I would enjoy that, Mara." Suzaku said, relaxing slightly. "It _has_ been far too long."

xxxx

He slept a dreamless sleep, memories coming and fading before he could grasp them. How long had he slept like this, in this nebulous silence? Even in this sleep, it would come, despite the sleep's best efforts to keep it at bay. It would rise, and the sleep would push it down, and there it would rest for a time before rising again. Like an ember that the wind tried to snuff out, but kept finding another ounce of fuel to burn bright again. Anger. He was angry. More than angry, he was wrathful, filled with a violent fury that would consume everything if he awoke, a blaze that would consume the world. He couldn't remember what he was angry at, why he seethed with such unending vehemence. Something was laughing in the deepest corners of his mind.

Something was doing to die screaming at his hands.


	15. Chapter 14

It was another four weeks on the freezing mountside before Suzaku's group finally returned, and by then Himura was completely numb and ready to leave. All excitement and conviction he'd had was gone by the fifth week when he'd fallen into a hole in the snow and spent the next 3 days with a horrible cold and a sprained ankle. The tower had held a nice amount of medical supplies and he'd been back out and working by the fourth day, but all his energy was sapped when a small blizzard blew in two days later. It turned out that working on the side of a snow-covered mountain in a mountain range a thousand kilometers from any real civilization was a tad difficult.

He was scraping up what looked to be a very slightly lighter green blood-crystal when he heard the soft rumbling that he recognized as the _Odysseus_ coming down from the mountainside. He tossed the little crystal into the drones storage compartment and trudged his way back through the knee-deep snow to the tower. It took him almost 12 minutes to walk the scant few hundred feet back, and another 10 of waiting for the Odysseus to navigate safely down the terrain. As the land-plane rolled in to the camp sight, the tower shifted, allowing it it be reattached.

The huge thing came to a stop and allowed Suzaku's group to exit, with an obvious addition to the group. Himura almost did a double take when the woman stepped out of the Odysseus, trying to grasp exactly what he was seeing. Following the exit of the three scientists in heavy winter gear came a woman in loose orange robes tied off with tight white bindings around the waist, wrists, and ankles, her head shaved bald and apparently carrying a pack of farming tools on her back. She seemed utterly unbothered by the cold and the snow, her feet gliding lightly over the snow, not breaking the delicate surface. She was very thin by what little he could make of her figure, but walked with the large pack without seeming to notice it, meaning she must have been deceptively strong. Deciding his powers of perception probably wouldn't tell him anything he couldn't find out quicker and less awkwardly by just asking, Himura walked over to the group from his position, waving.

"Welcome back, Dolph, Eriksson, Miyamoto." He bowed slightly to them, mostly for the sake of the new woman and politeness sake. "Was your time productive?"

"That it was." Dolph said, nodding. "We've discovered some interesting energy signatures that the JSDF will want to analyze, and the expected tissue samples. What about you guys?"

"Plenty of samples, about two kilograms of flesh and about half a liter of frozen blood samples. The tower picked up some residual readings from what we assume is the teleportation energy, but we'll need the JSDF computers to properly analyze it, as expected." He said, deciding to get the obvious out of the way. "And this would be your contact?" He asked, nodding at the woman.

"Indeed." Suzaku said, gesturing at her. "Himura Musashi, this is Mara Padma. She will be accompanying us back to Japan."

"A pleasure." Mara said, her voice seeming both strong and soft at once. "I look forward to working with you in the future."

"Same." Himura said with another slight bow. "Pardon me for asking, but when Miyamoto said he was meeting a contact, I was expecting a scientist from the GMPO or a similar organization. You're not what I was expecting."

"I understand how it might have seemed." She said with a slight humour in her voice. "And before you need ask, yes, I am a monk, of the Yellow Lotus school in Qinghai."

"That's rather far away. What brings you so far from home, if I may ask?"

"Suzaku requested it, so I have come." Mara said with a slight smile. "Consider me something of an adviser."

"Alright. Far be it from me to question based on appearances." Himura said, still rather confused.

"Please load the drones onto the Odysseus, we'll be leaving as soon as everything is aboard." Suzaku spoke, watching as Takahata and Alexander arrived riding their own drones. "And stop riding on those!" He called out in an angry tone at the two. "Those are not toys!"

Himura had to stifle a laugh.

xxxx

They plane was up in the air and flying back to Japan in twenty minutes, the samples being stored in coolers now that they were away from the freezing cold of the mountain that had served to keep them well preserved. The team was now sat around the center of the cabin in the odd seating arrangement, Emily explaining what was going to be happening once they returned to Japan. The actual explanation was mostly to Takahata and Alexander as they were actually parts of the biological studies subdivisions, so Himura only bothered catching every other word as he looked over some JSDF reports from over the past month that were available on the _Odysseus_' systems. Apparently, worldwide EDF deployment had been completed, with special focus in China due to the concentration of the monster attacks. Repairs on the Jet Razor had been complete and it was back in active surface along with the Gotengo and the repaired Mokuera units. The Kazama had been assigned to patrol the Indian Sea in case of any additional attacks, and American forces had deployed a number of their flying aircraft carriers and advanced fighters to assist along the eastern Chinese border. HEAT had been assigned to assist the JSDF, and the American Godzilla(Zilla to most in Japan to avoid confusion) had arrived near Tokyo Bay, feasting on the mutated schools of giant fish there. The American monster was one of maybe 3 creatures in the world that was considered unequivocally good, and even Himura had to respect the creature. He'd always wanted to see it in person, and now maybe he would have his chance.

He finally snapped out of his researching stupor when a voice called to him from all of 5 feet away.

"Musashi! Hello, you there man?" Dolph said, waving his wand at Himura. "Earth to Himura Musashi, requesting your presence."

"Oh, sorry." He said as he focused on his surroundings, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "I get really focused when I'm doing something."

"Apparently." Dolph said with a smirk. "Well focus, Suzaku was just about to get into one of his famous monologues, and I wouldn't want you to miss it."

"Thank you Dolph, your sarcasm is most appreciated." Suzaku said with a half-hearted scowl. "Now, if I have everyone's attention, I wanted to discuss something, particularly with yourself Himura."

"And what would that be?" Himura asked with a slight but growing interest. He'd learned by now that when Suzaku got going, it payed to listen.

"I spoke before about the reason the GMPO exists, to discover the reason behind the existence of monsters. To that end, I have brought Mara with us, as she is an expert in ancient legends concerning monsters." He said with a nod to the monk, who nodded in return.

"Indeed. Tell me, you all know of the legend of Orochi, correct?"

"Of course." Takahata said with a nod. "It is one of the few Japanese legends that even those outside Japan have probably heard of."

"I thought as much. Then tell me, who has heard of the legend of Indra and Vritra?"

"Can't say I've heard of that one." Alexander said. "I'm guessing it's important to today's lesson?"

"That is correct." Mara said, nodding. "Vritra was an ancient dragon who was said to have descended from Heaven and become one with the Earth, and horded all the waters of the world within one hundred fortresses. The dragon slowly drained the life of the world with the great drought, and the gods were fearful. Then the god Indra was born, and drank the Soma to gain power, and used his power to turn three servants of Vritra against it. The gods fashioned a bolt of lightning into a vajra for Indra, and Vishnu cleared a battlefield upon the earth where they could fight without destroying all of creation. Together with Vritra's servants, Indra destroyed ninety nine of the fortresses, and faced Vritra on the battlefield made by Vishnu. They battled long, Vritra gaining the upper hand, until the vajra pierced his neck and killed him, casting him down on his last fortress and freeing the waters."

"Interesting, but what does that have to do with Orochi, or the origin of monsters?" Takahata asked.

"As you know, many ancient legends between cultures were taken from other, earlier cultures, and changed over the millennia to suit those cultures other legends and ideologies." Emily spoke, activating the central display. "We believe that the legends of Orochi and Vritra are based on the same incident, as are many other legends throughout the world. The Sumerian Tiamat, the Norse Nidhoggr, the Egyptian Apep, and many others. All tell of some great beast that fought the ancient gods, and was struck down to lie beneath the Earth." Suzaku said, turning the display to show a massive excavation site. "In nineteen ninety four, the remains of a monster were discovered in the Nara prefecture. The creature was nearly three hundred meters long, one hundred meters at the shoulder, had five heads, and was missing roughly one third of its body. The body was covered in unknown script, and had a massive cuts along its necks that were similar to sword wounds. The remains of what appeared to be an ancient temple was found directly in front of the body, with a large stone painting that was mostly weathered away. Studies found these relics to date back roughly ten thousand years"

The display changed again, showing a picture that had mostly been worn away, the only remaining images appearing to be made of out metal, still frighteningly clear.

"This stone depicts the battle between the Orochi and the god Ikusagami, along with the three beast, Amano Shiratori of the sky, Kumasogami of the earth, and Kaishin Muba of the sea. After six years of translating the stone, the rough series of events seems to be as followed." Suzaku spoke, shifting the display between several images as he went. "The dragon Orochi fell from the dark skies unto the heavens, and there cast out the gods onto the earth. The gods ran in fear of Orochi, who demanded sacrifices of virgin girls to grow his power and become an immortal god of darkness. The gods found the young prince Yamato Takeru and gave him the duty of slaying the monster. Gathering the weapons of the gods, the Divine Lights, Yamato transformed himself into a god and fought Orochi, slicing its many heads apart before finally shattering its body in half with his golden blade. He cut out the center of the beast and used his magic to turn it into a guardian of its former self, before sealing the beast beneath the earth and sealing its guardian in the highest point in the lands, so that it could watch for any sign of its return. Ikusagami then used the last of his power to send the weapons to the furthest lands, that should Orochi ever return they might seek out a hero to slay the beast who threatened the Earth."

"So, what does that mean for the origin of monsters?" Himura asked, already piecing things together.

"By itself, nothing." Suzaku said, switching the display once more. "But what was found later on is what confirms some theories, and makes me think what I currently do. In two thousand one, Godzilla zero one rose from the grave and made its way through Japan, wreaking havoc. Three monsters rose to fight it. Baragon, from Mt. Myoko, Mothra, from Lake Ikeda, and Ghidorah, from Mount Fuji. Creatures of the Earth, Sea, and Land, although considering what we know of Mothra and Ghidorah, it's likely only a coincidence. Still, Hiyotoshi Isayama, a man who appeared to spread the warning of the "Guardian beasts" said that Ghidorah was the Orochi, which if that means what I believe it does, means it was the piece of the real Orochi that was cut free, and considering how it acted completely different than all other Ghidorah's, I'm willing to believe it must have had a strange origin, even for a giant monster."

"And what do you think that means?" Himura asked, now thoroughly intrigued.

"The DNA samples taken from the Orochi remains and from the guardian Ghidorah proved to be a near match, with what appeared to be a mutation in the later, likely caused by the magic of Ikusagami. This proves two things. One, that the two are linked, and that something was able to separate that massive chunk from the former to give birth the the later. Second, and far more disturbing, it means that the Orochi was a Ghidorah."

There was silence as that revelation hung in the air, those not in the GMPO looking at each other in barely contained horror. Himura noticed that Mara simply nodded.

"This, combined with evidence taken from Mu, Seatopia, and Infant Island indicate that monsters existed ten thousand years ago, and that it's very likely that the world was attacked in that time by a Ghidorah. One with eight heads and was significantly larger than any seen so far, or rather, seen after. But that's just the beginning." Suzaku said, changing the display to show a mural with the tag Infant Island in the corner. "From the events from the end of the twentieth century involving Mothra and later events such as Orga and Gigan zero two, including evidence from Infant Island, the Japan Trench, and Hokkaido, it's been determined that a similar event took place sixty five million years ago. A ghidorah attacked, aided by aliens, and was likely defeated and sealed by the Mothra of that age."

Suzaku leaned forward, crossing his hands beneath his face, eyes seeming to gleam.

"The Age of Monsters didn't begin in nineteen fifty four. It began over sixty five million years ago, and likely even earlier than that. And all of them involved the presence of a Ghidorah."

xxxx

Two months since its attack had failed. Or so it seemed. In truth, the little test had gone perfectly. The humans could not prevent its creatures from leaving the earth, and if they could not do that, it meant they could not prevent them from appearing anywhere it desired them to go. It gazed behind itself, watching as the dozens of heads turned to look at it, the cacophony of roars silencing at its gaze.

Soon it would be time to take this world, and slaughter all those that would oppose them. Soon, the earth would burn to ashes, and all that would remain would be a dead rock in the cold of space, as so many before it.


	16. Chapter 15

I still don't own anything. I also just realized that most of the breaks weren't transferring properly, which means reading through the chapters up til this point may have been confusing. I have fixed all that, and decided to upload this one early to make up for being a moron. I promise to pay more attention from now on.

* * *

Dr Tatopoulos had finally finished up assisting the JSDF at Madagascar, the HEAT Seeker's advanced sensor suite helping to analyze the samples on sight in an effort to learn more about the red monster that people were starting to call Redzilla, a name that he found both fitting and far off the mark. The footage he'd studied showed the creature acted much differently than the Japanese Godzilla's, and not simply in the way it seemed to be controlled for a specific purpose. The way it fought, moved, destroyed, countered. It was something he'd seen before, and that was in the cyborg monster Gigan. Now though, his team's part in that was done, and he was currently docking the Seeker in the Tokyo Bay, to a spray of water and the taste of fish on the air. No matter where you were in the world, the sea always seemed to smell the same.

He watched the water rolling on either side of the ship as he navigated it past the immense shipping vessels, small fishing boats, pleasure cruisers, and military carriers that filled the huge bay. It had grown since the last time he'd been there 5 years before, huge expanses of artificial ground and long rows of metal stretched out like a hundred branches adding a good 3 miles to the bays out reaches, enough to dock thousands of ships. The huge control tower that had just been started when he'd left had been long completed, a 200 meter tall pillar in the center of the entrance into the bay, serving both to direct larger vessels safely and to act as the focal point for the shield that would be raised in case of an attack. It never ceased to amaze him how the Japanese managed to throw these huge structures up in so short a time.

_I guess continuous monster attacks are good lessons in fast construction._

He felt a light amusement touch the back of his mind, and smirked. The following taste of fish was expected, and he'd long grown used to the taste. He'd actually noticed his diet included much more fish than it had before he had met Godzilla.

_I know buddy, but not everyone has such a considerate guy as you protecting them._

He felt Godzilla's pride at that, and another burst of fish hit him as the leviathan reptile continued to feast on the mutated fish that swarmed Tokyo Bay. He'd actually helped on the controlled mutation that would change a number of sea creatures, including tuna and shellfish, into large mutations that would then be harvested for both retail sail and for feeding creatures on Monster Island. A couple other programs had gone on since then, including cows and turkey, but sea creatures seemed especially receptive of mutation. The way Godzilla was gobbling them up showed that they were also rather tasty. The titanic lizard had long since grown to the point where he didn't need all that much nourishment, he still couldn't help himself around a large school.

_Okay, finish quick so we can head in, we don't want to keep them waiting._

The psychic connection between Godzilla and him had grown significantly over the years, to the point where his thoughts were shared with the mutation who fancied himself his son. Back in 2005 he'd been in Japan while Godzilla recovered from his mind-controlled bout with his Japanese counterpart, where the instincts and skills he'd honed from a hundred battles were erased in favor of the aliens blind charging. While he'd stayed at the JSDF buildings to ensure he was as close to the recovering reptile as possible, he'd undergone a test from their psychic program head, a miss Miki Saegusa. It had revealed that he had latent psychic potential, apparently accessed by Godzilla himself through the mutants own psychic signature, which had explained the creatures ability to always arrive to save him when he was in trouble.

Since then, he'd actively worked at improving his connection with Godzilla, and now was able to essentially talk with him. Godzilla himself never transmitted actual words, more feelings than anything, but Nick thought that was simply because the creature didn't consider actual words important. Godzilla's intelligence had grown continuously since his birth, along with a few other helpful aspects, and Nick was almost sure that the creature had long since gained all his own knowledge, and was probably smarter than he was. The way he fought nowadays showed an astounding combat skill, and he'd been able to defeat creatures far stronger than himself with almost impossible ease. Some people were actually questioning if the more recent footage wasn't somehow edited, unbelieving that a 200ft reptile could move like that.

Another rumble of amusement in his mind, and then he felt Godzilla fall in behind the HEAT Seeker as it made its way through the throngs of vessels to the innermost docks, and more importantly, the Monster Path. A project somehow snuck in during the nationwide repair effort after the Pacific Events, the Monster Path had been submitted as a way to allow Gojira and other monsters a way of passing through Japan safely and without constantly destroying buildings by walking over them. Some several hundred miles had been implemented, a road a hundred meters wide built over the tops of a series of factories and hills, it used a psychic suggester to guide monsters along it, using large beacon towers to then direct them down paths that had been left clear for their travel. The restructured Japan had been practically catered to the giant creatures, and considering the catastrophe and suffering it had gone through during the Alien War, Nick could certainly understand why they had put so much effort into it. A few other countries had made similar if much smaller efforts, the 2nd largest being America itself, so that its own monstrous defender had an easy time navigating. Of course, Godzilla did his best to cause as little destruction as possible anyway, but whatever made the American people feel safest.

_They deserve it. And so does everyone else._

Nick docked the Seeker in a designated JSDF building next to the road, and shut down the engines. Walking outside, he was just in time to see Godzilla rise from the waters to the sounds of shocked people shouting. Everyone in Japan knew that this one was safe, but people never could just ignore a giant monster emerging within their cities. Hoping into the military escort car that had been set for him, Nick watched from the back seat as Godzilla rose onto the road and started following him towards the central JSDF compound.

_Well, time to see what old Gordon has in store for us, pal._

xxxx

The Odysseus set down at the JSDF compound, its passengers quickly disembarking. Himura was glad to finally be back in Japan, where it was nice and warm and you could see the sun clear in the sky. The huge army of military weapons powerful enough to wipe out a small continent didn't hurt with feeling secure either. The revelations on the flight home had left him more than a little nervous, and he was pretty sure he'd had a nightmare during his short nap a few hours ago. That was all he had needed, yet another reason to fear Ghidorah.

The drones were already rolling out and following Emily, the samples headed straight for the science labs for analysis. It was important they figured out what this thing was, and fast. There hadn't been any more attacks since the three, but when it came to teleporting alien abominations, that probably didn't mean anything. He looked at the others, Dolph and Suzaku engaged in conversation, when a rumble went through the ground, nearly knocking him off his feet. It felt like an earthquake. The following rumble made him realize it was something far worse.

He flung his head in every direction, trying to see where it was coming from, and managed to catch sight of the creature. It was huge, a bipedal beast with black and grey skin, a row of blue spines running down its back, and a head the size of a house. The creatures arms hung folded beneath its chest, and the massive red-orange eyes were firmly locked onto the aircraft. How had they not seen it flying in? You don't just miss a giant monster in the middle of a military base. He was caught between fear, panic, hatred, and about a dozen other emotions when it finally clicked exactly what he was looking at.

"Oh my god." He said as he gazed up the towering monster.

"It's Godzilla, actually." Spoke a voice from behind him.

Himura turned to see an older man with short brown hair cut with grey stripes, a large brown jacket and jeans showing him to be distinctly American. It only took a few more seconds for his brain to realize he was looking at yet another living legend.

"Doctor Tatopoulos it has been quite some time." Suzaku spoke, actually smiling at the man and bowing.

"Professor Miyamoto, it's been a while." Dr. Tatopoulos said, offering him a handshake, which Suzaku accepted. "Just get back from the scenic Himalayas I'm told?"

"Indeed. We were recovering bio samples and energy readings from the K zero twenty alpha site. They are in the drones there." He said, pointing at the rolling machines. "I must thank doctor Craven for the designs."

"I'll tell him you send your compliments when I get back to New York. He's always in a good mood when some mentions the NIGELs going on a successful mission."

"And you are here to aid the JSDF in examining and countering the new monster threat, is that not so?"

"That's right. I've been meeting with Gordon for the past few days. Old man is still as crotchety as ever, though I can't say I envy his position. I owe him a lot, and I plan on making good on my dept."

"It will be an honor working with you again." Suzaku said with another slight bow, before motioning to Dolph. "You remember mister Weiss."

"Yes. It's good to see you again Dolph. You haven't aged a day." Dr Tatopoulos said with another extended hand which was quickly shook.

"And you're looking the very image of a legendary old doctor, Nick. Glad to see you're still running around, solving monster mysteries with your twenty story dog." Dolph said with a grin. "Could none of the other members of HEAT come?"

"Afraid not. Randy's helping the American government deal with analyzing the energy signatures and trying to tune the satellites to be able to pick up the teleportation energies. He's sure it's some form of tachyon signal, maybe related to the Leviathan aliens. Elsie is working on the samples sent to us and working on a biological solution that should disable an organics that arrive next time, and Craven is working with the military to design a new countermeasure. That, and he's not much up to traveling nowadays, what with the grand kids on the way. Monique is off with the French government to work out a combined military effort should the Atlantic come under attack. I'm on my own this time."

A loud grunt came from the giant monster everyone had seemed to somehow forget was there, and Dr. Tatopoulos chuckled.

"Sorry buddy, didn't mean to exclude you. I meant it's just me _and_ Godzilla this time."

The behemoth let out an amused snort, and Dolph laughed.

"I'll never get used to that." He said, shacking his head. "World's greatest defender, and it acts like a puppy."

The American Godzilla leaned its head down to sit just in front of Dolph, and let out a snort of air that blew him on his back.

"Ow." He said, picking himself up. "Sorry, sorry, didn't mean anything by it."

Himura was utterly lost.

xxxx

Mara stood silently, watching the antics of the group from a few meters away, chuckling slightly when the Russian was blasted by the indignant monster. She watched the way the creature acted, almost human in his interactions, so very much like the man who was his "father." She stared into its eyes, watching the clear intelligence there, and decided to test it.

_Can you hear me, Godzilla?_ She thought, projecting her mind at the creature gently, no trying to force anything.

The monster swiveled his eye to look at her, snorting again in seeming acknowledgement. Mara smiled at that, glad that it was so open.

_I look forward to working with you._

Godzilla cocked its head to the side, apparently a little confused by her thoughts, but immediately perked its head up, seeming to sniff at the air. It's eyes narrowed, but it didn't do anything else. He could sense it, the feeling in the air, but whatever it was wasn't going to happen yet.

Soon though, very soon.

* * *

**Jormungandr1994**: Glad you're enjoying it so much. I'm updating this slower than I'm churning out chapters, so I'm planning to have a big update for the next fight.

**Gojira Geek**: May use that in the future for something. But for now, both Orochi and Bagan have their parts, which will be revealed soon enough.


	17. Chapter 16

Nope, don't own anything.

* * *

As the American Godzilla curled up on the landing pad, the group of scientists began the walk into the main JSDF building. With their group finally back, they'd need to make their report, log all of their samples, and return to their previous obligations. At the moment though, they were all being called to the command center to meet with Gordon for a as of yet unknown reason. Himura was just glad to be back. He would never complain about being trapped at a terminal a mile underground again. He watched as Dr Tatopoulus conversed with Suzaku, wondering just how many people the man knew. Tibetan monks, legendary scientists, not to mention the head of his own company. There was prodigy, and then there was being straight out of an anime. Speaking of the monk, Himura realized he didn't see her following them.

"Is miss Padma not going to be joining us?" He asked Dolph, looking back to emphasize his point.

"Nah, Mara's not one for enclosed spaces. Something about always being able to see the sky, or something like that." Dolph replied, shrugging. "To be honest, Suzaku's the only one who knows that one at all, but if he trusts her, and believe me when I say his trust is not easily earned, then I trust her too."

"Fair enough." Himura replied, looking back at Suzaku and Nick. "And what about him? How did Mister Miyamoto come to know the legendary Doctor Niko Tatopoulus."

"Ah, that one I know, and it's not as complicated as you might think. As the head of HEAT, Doctor Nick there takes a hands on approach to pretty much every aspect of managing his organization, where he can. That includes meeting with his backers, and the heads of other major monster research groups. When Suzaku took an interest in gaining HEAT as a supporter of his cause, Nick was only too happy to help out, and they've met a few times since then on collaborative efforts. It's not like they go golfing on Sundays or anything, but their ideals when it comes to monster preservation are practically the same, and they get along like you'd think they'd known each other all their lives. Besides, you'd be amazed and disturbed what a group of individuals like those two can come up with after an hour in a room just talking. The drones you used on the mountain are a HEAT design, as is the tail tower on the _Odysseus_."

"I've heard of the legendary accomplishments of HEAT, same as anyone. Revolutionized the American weapons field with the introduction of cheap lasers that had them arming everything from the army to police in just over a year, aided in stopping the Leviathan invasion, created the first true human-made monster communication device. I've heard it said that even the JSDF is jealous of their achievements, especially for a tiny non-profit organization they were at the time." Himura said, trying to remember the scientific achievements that were often overlooked in favor of their amazing record against monsters.

"Yeah, it's astounding. A group of five people working out of a glorified New York basement, and they managed to become one of the biggest names in anti-monster efforts on Earth. Who knows what they could have done with state-of-the-art facilities and government backing. It's one of the great jokes in our industry that the American's could have ruled the world if they'd just given the 'Worm Guy' his allowance." Dolph said with a grin. "We can rest easy knowing that they're not as smart as you Japs on the whole monster front."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not." Himura said, shaking his head.

xxxx

Gordon sat in his oversized chair looking over the reports that Nick had been kind enough to bring in person. He still had no idea how that man with a boat rated for 50 knots seemed able to get all over the world like he did. He'd managed to make a short stop over at the Madagascar sight to run his own tests, somehow coming to Japan with a good 3 bits of information in he'd gathered in two days than an entire JSDF deployment had somehow missed with over a month of looking.

_I swear, that guy's as much of a mutation as the lizard that follows him._ He thought to himself, still dumbfounded by some of his findings. _How the hell does he do this._

Dr. Nick had managed to not only find a unique energy residue on the red monsters DNA that pointed to it being from at least another solar system, but also managed to conclude that the rock containing it was simultaneously made only 2 days before it had arrived on Earth, but also contained elements that had to be several thousand years old. And to top it all off, he'd managed to find that the materiel, despite all evidence to being natural rock, was entirely artificial, though _how_ it was artificial, even he couldn't be sure.

_I don't even know what that means and he's probably right._

In the two and a half decades since he'd known Nick Tatopoulus, Gordon had never known him to be wrong. His people skills were about as refined as a cave painting, and he had about as much sense when it came to reading people as the worms he'd studied, but when it came to science and monsters, he was some kind of wizard. The fact that he had what was practically a dragon following him around only lended to that image. he wondered what it would be like to have had the real Godzilla following him around like a puppy. Gordon shook his head, the image too bizarre for even him.

_I'll stick to fighting monsters, not house training them._

He watched the monitor that showed the hallway leading its way to the command center. The group that had been sent to the Himalayas was back, and just so happened to have the doctor with them. Good, this would wrap up the last of the monster research, and allow them to go into full on counter mode. He swiveled his chair around just as they came in through the door, doing his best to seem as in command as possible. Sure, he hated the job sometimes, but his job involved looking like a badass as often as possible, and he was more than happy to do that job to the best of his ability.

"Welcome home people." He said, looking at the Miyamoto kid who had unofficially been leading the operation. "I hope spending a solid month on top of a freezing mountain was a good vacation."

"The samples have been transferred to the storage facility for examination, and the files on the energy signals was uploaded the moment we touched down." Suzaku said professionally. "An official report has been written and will be submitted at the soonest opportunity."

"Very good Miyamoto. You and the rest of your team can take the rest of the day off to recover from your mission. You've earned it."

"Thank you sir." Suzaku said, saluting, the others following suite.

"Dismissed. Doctor Tatopoulus, you stay, I'll want you to go over their findings with me."

"Of course." Nick turned to Suzaku, and gave him a nod. "We'll finish once I've looked everything over."

"Very well. Until then."

The group made their way back out the way they came, sans the doctor, and Gordon watched as they left. Once they were gone, he turned to Nick, all amusement at the kids seriousness being replaced with his own.

"Is the kid going to be able to carry out his part?" Gordon asked, looking at Nick expectantly.

"Not even going to ask if he accepted?" Nick countered.

"I've read his file, and I know his type. He's like you. He accepted the moment you asked him." Gordon said, knowing how these types worked. "Now, the question isn't whether or not he _will_ do it, but if he _can_ do it. Well?"

Nick was silent for a few moments, no doubt angry at him for one reason or another. But Gordon knew he understood the severity of the situation, and finally relented.

"Yes, he can do it. I can guarantee that everything will go exactly as the JSDF wants, as long as they keep up their end of things."

"Don't worry doctor, they will." Gordon answered, lowering his gaze as the heat left his tone. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry to have to drag you into this. It's not my call, and the stakes are too high to leave anything to chance. If we all make it out of this, remind me to buy you a drink before I resign."

"I'll remember that."

xxxx

Godzilla lay curled up on the tarmac of the airstrip, lazing about in the warm sun of the Japanese coastal area. He was only a few miles from the ocean, and could still smell those big fish he loved to eat. He'd been here a few times before, and it always stung his nose to be further inland. The smell there was confusing, dozens of different creatures near his size of larger had been there over the years, and their smell still clung to the earth like dried blood. Some of the smells were nice, some pretty familiar, but one or two made his nose hurt, and some overlapped into this hideous stink that he couldn't stand.

This place though, it smelled of human and metal, not unlike his own home. In fact, the place smelled sweet at times, no doubt an effort by the humans to reduce the chance of him attacking them. He never could understand their thinking. Some considered him a hero, others a menace, and those ones never seemed to get how often he saved them. If he actually cared for their opinions, he probably would have been insulted. Still, that stink smell that clung to some of the humans of this land was thankfully overpowered by the sweet smell, and he would have to have his father thank whoever was responsible for that.

He looked over at the human who had talked to him before, apparently asleep not too far away. Her thoughts had been a nice note, and he could feel that she felt what he did, the heaviness in the air that always meant something was about to attack. He sniffed the air, trying to smell anything, but nothing was there yet. The little female human(it had taken him years to tell the difference between their sex, such tiny scents) was odd, having spoken to him like that. Her smell was stronger than it should have been, and had a strange tang to it he couldn't place. It had been years since he'd smelled something so unique, but when it came to humans, that wasn't as much as it could have been. They were always making themselves smell different, changing how they looked, disguising themselves for one reason or another. None of them seemed to have the pride in themselves that he did, but when there were so many of them, he supposed it made sense that they'd have to make themselves look unique. How else could they hope to recognize each other?

He sniffed the air, still feeling too uneasy to sleep. There was nothing yet.

Not yet, but soon.

* * *

**NirvanaFrk97**: Heh, I get that a lot. It's actually surprising how well everything fits together.


	18. Chapter 17

Double Update Time. Still don't own anything, though if I did, this would probably be a movie.

* * *

Back out in the scientists quarters, Takahata and Alexander bid their farewells and went off to their own business, leaving Himura and the GMPO trio alone. Himura considered heading off on his own to check on the progress of his Jet Stinger submission, wondering just how far along in the current busy system it had gotten. But as they'd been walking back, Suzaku had given him a look like he'd wanted to talk, and at this point, Himura wanted to know what he had to say. After everything he'd seen he and his organization were capable of, he realized just how much he could accomplish by working with them. If what Emily had told him on the flight back was true, their anti-cyborg countermeasure was already in place at Tokyo City. And so here he was, walking alongside a group of people who the more he learned of, the more there seemed to be to understand.

"So, what exactly are we going to do on our day off?" Asked Dolph, noticeably including Himura in the "we."

"I have already made plans for dinner at a restaurant a few miles from here." Suzaku said, looking at Himura. "Will you be joining us? I have something I would like to talk to you about."

"Sure, I'd be honored." Himura answered, looking at him with a certain understanding.

"Nice!" Dolph exclaimed, clapping Himura on the shoulder. "Maybe now that you've seen a bit more of the GMPO I can give you our sails pitch again?"

"You're persistent." Himura said with a slight chuckle.

"Hey, that's in my job description." Dolph answered with a grin.

Less than an hour later and the four of them were sitting at a table in a fairly large restaurant, eating the fine food. Surprisingly to Himura, it wasn't an actually fancy restaurant, the food in good portions at reasonable prices. If anything, it was preferable to something decadent after their long journey. Probably would have made his stomach sick. It was a nice quiet meal for the majority, all of them digging in as politely as possible after two months of rations. As they finished off the last of the shellfish, Himura decided he might as well learn a few things.

"So, what exactly did you want to talk to me about, Miyamoto?"

"Before I answer that, could you solve this for me?" Suzakua said, handing him a small datapad with what looked like a math problem.

"Umm, excuse me?"

"I have been having a slight problem working out the math on that one, and wanted to see if perhaps you would be able to, that is all." Suzaku answered almost nonchalantly.

Confused, Himura looked at it, and odd sweeping problem that somehow rounded itself around in a circle. He spent a moment looking at it, and noticed a simple solution by canceling out every fifth digit. With that out of the way, he was able to solve it in under a minute, and hand it back to Suzaku. The other man looked over it for a moment and smiled, turning the pad off and putting it away.

"Just as I thought, you really are the one I need." He said, giving a slight grin.

"Excuse me?" Himura said, even more lost.

"The problem I just had you solve is actually a highly difficult perception test. Solving it using traditional math takes over an hour, and is literally impossible to solve any faster than that using normal methods. And yet you solved it perfectly in less than a minute. Remarkable." His grin was now turning into a small smile.

"So what, you need me to solve obtuse math problems?" Himura asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Something like that." Suzaku said, glancing at Dolph and Emily. "Tell me, do you know why you were admitted into the JSDF research division?"

"Because of my maser improvement. How did you know about that? I thought those files were restricted."

"Not at all. Projects like that are announced to all major investors and partners of the JSDF, to add prestige and confidence in their selection when it comes to new scientists. As head of the GMPO, I am allowed access to all non-classified project files, though not the actual schematics. Think of it as something of promoting their services. Now, do you understand exactly why that allowed you into the research division?"

"Because it fit the criteria. It was a technology that would allow the JSDF to better combat monsters." Himura said, not as confidently as before.

"That is not it at all. Do you truly think they would have allowed you into one of the most prestigious and important organizations on the planet if you were simply able to improve weapons efficiency by a few percent? You would have been hired as an engineering consultant or something similar, checking final products for any improvements that could be made without excess cost. Still, I am not surprised that you do not understand the significance of your discovery. If you had, others outside of the JSDF would have, and it is entirely possible you would not be here right now."

Himura gulped, now fully lost in understanding his own accomplishment. Before he could say something, Suzaku continued.

"The technology you used to improve the maser design had already been in existence for three months before you even started working on that improvement. The JSDF has dozens of the worlds best minds working for it, and yet none of them realized the implications despite reviewing every new technology for just such an opportunity. And yet, you did. A wanted to be sure with the test just now, and you have confirmed my suspicions. You are not a genius in the sense that you can create fantastic new technologies, or combine existing technologies in ways that others would deem impossible. What you are a genius in is realizing simple things others would gloss over, and putting them into reasonable effect. Others attempt to gain entrance through advanced weapons or radical new ideas, often exorbitantly expensive or impractical. And yet you used a simple combination of existing technologies that could improve a huge amount of the EDF's arsenal in a relatively short amount of time at a comparatively low cost. That shows a highly practical and efficient mindset, something that is in short supply when dealing with biologically impossible monstrosities. In a world where the first method of fighting a giant monster is with an equally absurd machine that often costs billions and trillions of yen, you have given a slight possibility for the rest of the JSDF forces to have a real chance at fighting, something that both boosts moral and offers tens of thousands of individuals the chance at actually making a difference. Though I doubt you realized even the slightest implications of your submission, you have made a greater contribution to the worlds efforts in humanities survival than likely every other candidate, ourselves included. And _that_ is why I need you"

Himura just stared, dumbfounded at the implications of what for him had felt like a stroke of luck and an easy entrance. He felt equal parts proud of his accomplishment and shame at how little thought he had put into it. For the first time in 12 years, he felt lost. He looked at Suzaku, an actual smile on his face, then over at Dolph and Emily, both also looking at him with smiles and light in their eyes. For once, he thought about exactly what it meant to achieve something for mankind itself, rather than his own thoughts of vengeance. He looked back at Suzaku, and hardened his resolve.

"Where do I start?"

xxxx

Mara sat on the grass just off of the airstrip, eyes closed and taking in the sun and light breeze. It had been years since she'd felt warm like this, all the days in the mountains and valleys having numbed her to the feeling of real warmth. The smell of the sea wafted around her, filling her nose with smells she hadn't known for over a decade. It was a nice feeling, and she wished she had more time to enjoy it.

She looked back over her shoulder at the monolith form of the American Godzilla, resting his head on his arms and gazing at her with a single orange-red eye. She had caught his interest, as she'd hoped, which should make what was to come a little easier. She watched him watch her, and smiled softly, amused at the casual appearance of a half a li long nuclear reptile with enough raw power to erase a city in short order. The creature smelled of water and brine, and looked more like a demon that a protector. But appearances were nothing to go by, and she well knew.

She felt the tiny spark in the air, and watched Godzilla's eye snap wide, pupil shrinking as a growl filled its throat. Mara picked up the tiny transmitted that Suzaku had given her, placed it to her ear, and pressed the activator.

"It is time. I'm going."

xxxx

Nick stood over a console in the command center, looking at the data from the samples Suzaku's team had gathered. The squid creature's DNA was bizarre, definitely not terrestrial, and the energy signals seemed disturbingly advanced, definitely tachyon based. As he switched the screen to its energy weapon readings, he felt a roar sound in his head, and felt his blood start pumping faster. Gordon immediately noticed the change, and was on his feet a second later.

"What is it?"

"Godzilla." Nick spoke grimly, already headed for the door.

xxxx

A dozen kilometers away in Tokyo City proper, a duet of lights danced in the air, forming domes of light that built from the ground up, coalescing into solid orbs of white. They keened loudly with built up energy, then shattered, the air sparkling gold for a moment before it faded. In the place of the orbs stood two titanic forms, one red flesh and golden spikes, the other black metal and blood-red wings, and both shapes roared, seeming to laugh at the shield that formed the greatest defense of Tokyo City, from almost a kilometer inside the great green barrier.

The screaming started a moment later.

xxxx

The sirens were blaring the moment the light orbs had popped, depositing the two massive forms inside the energy shield. Emergency plans were already going into effect, people abandoning their homes and workplaces to rush into a number of underground bunkers and specially designated buildings. Reinforced underground paths that ran along previously destroyed subways lines led to the only safety someone could hope to find in a city under attack by giant monsters.

Where they couldn't reach.

Defenses were already online, masers and missile launchers arming and targeting, localized shields flaring into existence around important structures and landmarks. Certain buildings were literally sinking into the ground to protect them from what was to come. A thousand measures that had been designed in the last 20 years were being put to its first real test, all to save the lives of those that bravely lived in the city that held the dubious honor of most attacked place on Earth.

Gordon knew it wouldn't be enough. It was never enough. He watched as the red saurian swung its tail, slicing a building diagonally and sending it crumbling into rubble that spread through the streets. The black cyborg fired a crimson bolt out of one of its cannons, blasting a series of smaller structures into a cloud of dust and falling concrete. There had probably been hundreds of people in those structures, hundreds dead in under a minute. There would be more.

"All forces deploy!" Gordon roared, rounding on the command center. "I want all squadrons in the air five minutes ago! Mokuera units and fortresses out of the hangar and killing those things before I turn around! I want evacuation protocols running at a hundred and twenty percent! Hop to it!"

He turned to Tatopoulus at his side, his gray eyes on Gordon. He just nodded, and made for the door. Gordon knew it was no use telling the man anything. He would already have a plan, and he couldn't order him around if he had wanted to. Instead, he focused his anger and frustration making sure everyone was working as fast as possible. Anything less just meant more lives would be lost.

xxxx

The red monster was stomping through the buildings, roaring as it went, swishing its tail and stomping its feet, destroying with each movement. Its hide was being peppered with golden bolts and exploding missiles, but nothing could penetrate its hide, immaculate as when it had first appeared. It made only a cursory effort to destroy anything that came in range, its tail striking like a snake, the golden blades cutting through SX-titanium plating as easily if it was rotten wood. Nearby, the black beast was unleashing bolts of red seemingly at random, apparently content with simply destroying everything in its path. The crimson blasts took buildings with disturbing accuracy, taking hitting them dead center and blowing them apart. The reinforced structures took the damage as well as they could, but they were made to withstand glancing blows and shrapnel from already destroyed buildings, not direct energy blasts or swinging claws.

The monsters almost seemed to be laughing, the cyborg letting out a keening "Skrrrrrraaaah!" as it unloaded both of its cannons at once, tearing an entire street apart in a single volley. The maser blasts stung its metallic hide, unable to damage it, but at least seemed to annoy it more than the red monster. Realizing that individual blasts where worthless, the maser operators switched tactics. Quick communications ran between the controllers, power was rerouted from the missile control systems, and careful targeting was employed. As one, three dozen masers angled to fire in an arc at the black beast, and unleashed golden streams of power. As the beams collided, they focused their fire in a single direction, the lightning-like beams coming together into a more powerful stream. The resultant blast took the cyborg in the side with ten times the power of a single beam, and blew it off its feet with a surprised howl. The red beast turned to look, almost seeming to grin, and actually walked to stand where its downed ally had when it had been struck. Not even bothering to exchange looks, the controllers fired again. The huge bolt impacted the monsters chest, pushing it back several dozen meters, grooves dug in the street from its claws. As the maser faded, the saurian looked up, and this time it was definitely grinning. The jewel on its forehead glowed blue, and with a blaze of energy that pushed it back almost as far as the maser, the blue energy lance swept the upper part of the city, a scything beam that cut through and blasted apart over half of the maser turrets. The system overloaded, and the remaining masers shut down from the surge.

As the platforms turned into pillars of smoke and fire, and red beast seemed to laugh, watching as the black cyborg pushed itself back up with a flap of its wings. As the red beast sneered as the destruction, a loud thump sounded from behind it. Then another, and another, followed by what sounded like several dozen in quick succession. The red beast turned, coming face to face with over 20 Mokuera units. With a final flare of thrusters, one last form fell from the sky, the Jet Razor landing in front of the throngs with a metallic thud, drawing a huge gun from its back that was nearly as long as it was tall. Glancing up, the red beast saw that the sky was filled with a dozen flying behemoths of gleaming metal, aerial fortresses of the Karyu and Rumbling classes, along with dozens of Super Xs and flights of literally hundreds of maser fighters. The Razor pointed the gun squarely at the red monster, letting out a metallic "Haah!", the Mokuera units raising their arms and pointing their faces directly at the two monsters. The red beast looked back at the black and nodded, letting out a grumbling roar as it did. The cyborg responded with its own keening call, and both of them faced the human forces.

It looked far too much like they were grinning maniacally.

xxxx

Himura and his compatriots were running as fast as they could, heading back to the JSDF compound as fast as could be managed with the masses of other people running in every direction. They'd been moving the moment Suzaku had gotten a message from Mara, and he'd been heading for the door before they had even realized what that meant. He had explained what the short message had meant as soon as they were out the door, and all of them realized they needed to be back before anything else happened. Himura glanced up as the shining forms of a full deployment of Mokueras flew overhead, followed by enough fighters to make the entire area darker. He shuddered at what could possibly warrant such a large force, but realized what the most likely cause was, and that had just made him run faster.

When the Razor had flown over, a gun on its back that probably warranted as some sort of war crime, he couldn't help but fear that it wouldn't be enough.

xxxx

The Razor fired, a blueish projectile that punched directly into the chest of the red beast, blowing it back with a surprised screech. The spiral missile bullet had enough force to blow anything human made into scrap, and by the smoking indent in the red monsters chest, it appeared to have been a wise addition. The cyborg roared and took to the skies, which was just what the Mokuera needed to unleash dozens of purple lines of death at it. It sped through the air, suddenly on the defensive from the inverse-storm that was flying at it from below, enough spiral missiles filling the air to literally outmass it. The cyborg increased its speed, turning as it flew to aim its cannons back behind it, red bolts taking the missiles out bit by bit, the huge explosions that resulted from a successful hit revealing just what would happen it that swarm made contact. As it angled down to try and shake them, what looked like a flying sword hit it from the side, the Karyu sending up sparks as it dug into the aliens side. The impact turned the creatures momentum on its head, and as the Karyu sped out of the way, the spiral swarm caught up with it. The resulting boom shattered glass for several kilometers, and the smoking body of the thing fell from the sky, crashing into the earth below.

At the same time, the Jet Razor was engaged in combat with the red beast, and was proving to have a harder time of it. The spiral bullets had proved effective, the additional dozen indents in the beasts chest giving evidence to the fact, but the ammo had run dry and the saurian had taken full advantage. The blue bolt had nearly taken off the Razor's arm, and the unfortunate Mokuera that was caught when it dodged was blown into pieces. The following three blasts did similar damage, and it was only once the Razor pilot realized that the creature was actively lining up those shots did it he take a new tactic. Thrusters full thrust, the Razor charged in full tilt, slamming its shoulder into the beast at nearly mach 2, sending it skidding away with a grunt. It then moved to full CQC, punching it in the face and chest before kicking it in the side. A straight punch took it in the gut, and the following uppercut sent it reeling back. The Razor punched again, only to be blocked by the kaiju's armored forearms. A few more blows distracted it just enough to allow the Razor to sweep the legs, thrusters on the foot adding enough force to destroy its balance. The following double palm strike sent it flying away to crash into a group of buildings that read as cleared.

The saurian monster slowly picked itself up, seeming to grin despite just getting its scaly hide kicked a kilometer away, and the blue glow came again. The Razor hunkered down, forward shields flaring, only for the red beast to fire at the remaining Mokuera units. It took three before they realized and another two before they could fire back. The purple beams hit it in a good three dozen locations, several searing smoking lines in the undefended flesh in the natural seems in the armour. Despite the pain, the beast fired again, taking another 4 before the blast faded, leaving the Mokueras noticeably worse for the exchange. The sudden red beams that took a Mokuera in the back and sent it crashing into the ground turned their attention to the recovered cyborg, its armor damaged in places but still more than able to fight. The red kaiju raised its arms just in time to block the flying knee strike from the Razor, but the second knee broke its guard, allowing the metal feet to slam into its chin. The Razor shifted as its body came parallel to its foe, bringing down a double hammer blow down on the beasts skull. It launched its fist forward in a strike at the monsters throat, only for a scaled hand to catch the fist in clawed fingers, clamping down. The sudden move by the monster took the pilot off guard, and he only just managed to maneuver away from the spearing tail taking the Razor's head off, still taking a nasty blow in the shoulder that impaled all the way through the machine.

The cyborg fired away, seeming to ignore all the firepower brought against it, the fighters and Rumblings unable to inflict any real damage. The red blasts kept impacting them, blasting them out of the sky to crash into the ground, disabled but thankfully sturdy enough to save their crews. Then the three Karyu fired, their massive maser destroyers blasting into the cyborg. The blasts pushed it back with a scream, blowing a hole in one wing and a nasty glowing line along one side, the last forcing its feet out from under it. It rolled to the side to get free, then took to the air directly at them, tearing up a cloud of dirt and metal as it exploded into the sky. It roared at them, the huge blue streams occasionally catching it and knocking it off course, but the sheer ferocity of its charge carried it through, and it emerged out of their firing arcs. Then it tackled on, slamming both guns into its side and firing, blowing it into three pieces. It spun at another one, tossing a dozen black disks at it, the mines exploding when they came into range, and it listed and fell out of the air. The last fired, taking the cyborg in the chest, only to be cored by a blaze of blue from the red beast. The kaiju roared, leaving its cyborg ally to take the remaining humans, and focused on its own enemy.

The Razor was seriously damaged, its left arm detached from the critical damage inflicted by the tail, and now it was faced with a crazed looking creature who it couldn't seem to inflict any real damage on. As it stood, it probably wouldn't be able to do enough to take this creature out, and it seemed like it could recover if it escaped. As such, the Razor could do only one thing.

Make sure it didn't escape. Firing up the engines, the Razor screamed through the air, angling up to avoid the tail, and spun in mid air, arms maser firing directly at the beasts face. It covered itself with its arms, exactly as the pilot planned. Diverting all power from weapons, he activated the device that gave the Razor its name. Using the technology that allowed the Jet Jaguar to grow and shrink, the Razor's greatest weapon was hidden in its thigh, shrunk down to allow easy carrying and concealment. The thigh panel blew out, and the handle stuck up to be grabbed by the remaining hand. A flash of white light exploded from its hand, and suddenly the machine held a 50 meter glowing blade. The heat razor spun up, vibrating teeth energizing to full, and as the beat lowered its arms, the blade swung down. The tail came up to block, and the smaller blade went flying as the superheated vibrating blade sliced right through it. It continued on its path, and buried itself deep in the monsters shoulder, throwing up a spray of blood.

The Razor pulled back, taking the blade with it, a cloud of red exploding into the air with an accompanying roar from the kaiju. It pulled its arm in, and shot it forward in a stab directly where the monsters heart should be. The arm fully extended with a shudder, and the length below the elbow went sailing away, severed by the remaining tail blade. The long appendage wrapped around the arm, tightening with the crack and hiss of breaking machinery. Hitting the detach, the Razor ducked down, one final attack prepared. It rammed its pointed head directly into one of the indents made by the spiral bullets, and fired all thrusters at full, carrying both creatures up and careening towards the massive pillar of green that powered the shields. At just over mach 1, the red beast hit the pillar, its entire body lighting up with a roar, and the Razor's head crumpled inward, the mech falling away. The red beast hung suspended for a few seconds, alien skeleton showing through its smoking flesh, until a red bolt caught the primary generator and destroyed it. The red beast fell, crashing into the wreckage, and sat unmoving.

The black cyborg walked over to it, looking down at its ally's smoking husk. After a few seconds, its eyes shot open, and it rose with a roar, seeming to grin despite its entire body billowing smoke. The black creature simply screeched at it, motioning back at the piles of destroyed and disabled human machines it had left in its wake. The two beasts seemed to laugh, "skrrrraaah!" and "gruuuuur!" mixing in a nightmarish sound.

Then the ground exploded in front of them, and a pair of powerful jaws closed around the red beasts throat. The black body turned, using its momentum to bodily hurl the monster away, before turning on the cyborg. Before it could fire its raising guns, the long tail slammed into its more damaged leg, knocking it off balance enough for a burst of green flames to blow it on its back next to the red kaiju. Both creatures shook themselves, and gazed up at the sudden arrival.

Godzilla opened his mouth, the long "skriiiiiiuuuunk!" seeming to outdo both of their combined roars, and red eyes glared at the two, fire burning within.


	19. Chapter 18

Godzilla had been stuck, watching the human machines being massacred. The green barrier they had erected to keep monsters out had done its job, preventing him from joining the battle while there were humans left to fight the two monsters. The mammoth reptile had been stuck pacing the shield, helpless to aid as the humans were defeated. An attempt to dig underneath had proven just as fruitless; the barrier extended in a perfect sphere even underground. It hadn't been until the black one had destroyed the primary emitter that he had been able to dash into his hole and continue onwards, to burst out and strike them before they could react. Now facing the still downed monsters, Godzilla charged forward with a roar, not intent on giving them the opportunity to recover.

The red monster aimed to counter with a lancing tail strike that Godzilla leapt over, landing on the cyborg's shoulders and forcing it into the ground. His landing put him at an angle to the red beast, and he pivoted to tail whip it across the face, flooring it again. He jumped off of the cyborg with another tail-swipe to the head for good measure. He landed several hundred meters away, and watched the two. The black beast roared from its place in the rubble, raising one of its cannons and firing a crimson bolt at Godzilla. He dodged to the side, the blast narrowly passing by and heating up his hide visibly. Taking no notice, Godzilla roared, and charged at the cyborg, crashing into it as it rose and sending it crashing into a large building. Before he could follow up with another charge, a blue beam cut directly in front of Godzilla, the sheer force blowing him back even with the miss. The reptile looked at the beams source, the red monster having gotten back on its feet. It shook itself to clear off the dust, staring at Godzilla with a toothy grin.

Then, it opened its mouth.

"So they finally send a real fighter against me." It said, voice deep and strong. "I've had enough of worthless machines. So, to whom d-"

Before it could finish, twin red bolts impacted on Godzilla's side, sending him reeling back with a pained roar and two smoking wounds.

"Stop talking and move aside."

The insectoid cyborg stomped up alongside the red kaiju, looking at it with six red eyes.

"This one is mine." It spoke it a metallic voice that sounded almost female. "I was first of this world and this one is flesh. I will eat its heart!"

"Oh come now, surely you could allow me a chance to test myself against an actual warrior before you disembowel it?" The red beast said with an amused tone.

"This beast of flesh is mine, not yours! Move aside, or I shall take you heart as well!" The cyborg roared, pointing at the location Godzilla was now noticeably vacant from. "It's gone!"

"Yes." The red saurian said, looking at the ground. "But the question is, gone _where_!?" it roared, lancing its tail into the ground directly in front of it. Several moments passed with nothing happening. "Hmm, I thought for su-"

The ground behind the two exploded, Godzilla rushing out and clamping his jaws around the back of the red monsters leg, and yanked it back into the hole. Too large to fit through the slim opening, the creature was stuck trying to wrench its leg free when Godzilla exploded out from behind the cyborg, slamming into its back and bashing it into the ground once more. The cyborg turned, trying to impale Godzilla with its elbow blades, but he leapt out of the way. The insectoid flew forward and turned to land next to its ally, both monsters looking at Godzilla. The crimson beast charged blue light on its forehead and the cyborg raised its cannons, and five beams fired at once at Godzilla. He jumped to the side, taking two of the red beams to his chest and crashing to the streets in a cloud of dust.

"This one is spirited." The red beast said with what amounted to a chuckle.

"I care not for its spirit, only its blood." The cyborg responded with a metallic growl.

Godzilla rose, its chest smoking, and roared at the two. The smoking wounds in its chest seemed to flow in reverse, sealing themselves closed with no sign that they had ever been there. The black kaiju growled in annoyance, while the red just grinned wider.

"So, you are more than you seem. Killing you may prove an entertaining challenge after all."

Godziila's only response was to let out a roar, and rear his head back. Green light flashed in its spines and neck, and as he opened his mouth a jet of green flame shot out, covering both of the aliens in the conflagration. The fire bulged outward as the red beast charged, seemingly ignoring the blaze as it came. Its tail lanced out like a spear, Godzilla ducking under it only to be met with a slash of its left hand. He moved to the side, avoiding it only to have an armored knee rise up to try and take him in the throat. He reared back with a roar, which was promptly cut short when the right hand shot forward and grabbed him by the throat. The red beast grinned as it tightened its grip, lifting Godzilla high into the air with its massive strength. Godzilla let out a pained growl, before he brought his legs up against his body, and kicked the red kaiju in its chest. It dropped Godzilla with a grunt, stumbling slightly from the force. Freed, Godzilla landed on his feet, and lunged forward to headbutt it in the gut. It stumbled back further, and was finally toppled when Godzilla slammed his tail against its leg, sending it crashing onto its side.

Godzilla gave a roar of victory, right before being tackled by a supersonic black mass, bodily lifting him into the air and carrying him over two kilometers before sending him falling into a line of buildings. The cyborg landed just beyond him, cackling to itself as it began to fire blast after blast from its twin-cannons into the rubble. A pained roar from Godzilla filled the air, and the cyborg cackled louder, its shots coming faster and more erratic. Suddenly, a green fireball flew from the growing cloud of dust and caught the cyborg in the face and exploded. The monster stopped unleashing its red bolts as it stumbled back with a howl, and Godzilla exploded out of the smoke and charged directly at it. The insectoid fired at him, the blasts searing his hide as he dodge out of the way. With a roar, Godzilla slammed full force into the cyborg, lifting it up and tossing it into the air with his head. As it fell to the ground, Godzilla let loose another jet of green fire, setting the cyborg alight.

The ground shook as the red kaiju charged directly at Godzilla, lancing his tail out in an attempt to impale him. Leaping forward to avoid the tail, Godzilla spun and let loose another blast of fire as it closed. The beast just kept coming, charging through the flames and slashing at the reptile, cutting 3 lines across his neck before a rising knee smashed into his ribs and sent Godzilla tumbling. He rolled onto his feet, coming to face both creatures, the cyborg rising to its feat with a metal, growling screech. With the two of them now together, Godzilla prepared to unleash his full might.

As it was, he knew he couldn't take the both of them. Even injured as they were, they were simply too durable and dangerous to take on together. Either one would have tested him to his limits, but together they presented a nigh-unbeatable challenge. Still, he had fought enough foes in the past to know that being seemingly invincible didn't mean you actually were. Rearing back, green light filled his spines and neck, a roar escaping as his eyes flashed green. Instead of unleashing a bout of flames however, a second flow of lights swept up its spines, followed by another, and on the 4th wave the lights turned blue. Eyes flashing like tiny stars, Godzilla opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of blue fire that quickly grew larger than he was, the inferno roaring into the two monsters that had been expecting far less. The blaze threw both of them back as their bodies exploded in twin pillars of fire, Godzilla's roar seeming to be the sound of the blase itself. The stream continued for another few seconds, before finally fading, leaving a long smoldering trench dug through the city. The two monsters sat several hundred meters from where they had been, twin torches burning like firepits in the city. The black cyborg flew into the skies, revealing its further blackened plates and damaged wings, while the saurian stood up, simply standing outlined in the fading blue glare.

Panting from the exertion, Godzilla watched the two recover, growling low in his throat. Hidden in the fire, the blue beam caught Godzilla in the chest and threw him back with a screech, a smoking hole bored deep into his chest, a spray of blood filling the air. Taking its chance, the cyborg fell from the sky and sank its teeth into the bleeding wound, and its red parts took on a crimson glow. Groaning in pain, Godzilla slashed at the cyborg with his claws, renting open long grooves in the obsidian metal and throwing it back. The insectoid screeched in victory, seeming stronger than ever with the consumption of blood, and the red beast stalked up to join it, hide smoking.

"Well fought, but not enough." It raised its tail, and grinned manically. "Now, die!"

"Transform."

The song-like voice muffled as though by metal helm filled the air, and a green light exploded from where the edge of the shield had been. In a flash, a form seemed to grow up from the ground, forming into a thin green form. Light green plates covered in darker green armor covered a feminine form, with a sinuous tail swaying behind it that ended in a large mace-like tip. A yellow flower with a blue jeweled center sat just below its neck and on the large pauldrons that seemed to almost float above its shoulders. The cyclopian visor glowed yellow, and the line of horns on either side of its head made it look like a cyborg itself, its entire form like that of some draconic warrior.

The female creature took a step forward, a powerful wind blowing from behind her as she took a stance facing the alien beasts. The voice came again, ringing out like a bell chime roar to any humans, but sounding clear to the gathered kaiju.

"My turn."

xxxx

The two alien beasts looked at the new arrival, the female creature slowly walking towards them. Teeth still sunk in Godzilla's hide, the cyborg's distraction left it open to a claw slash that cut several lines in its neck, sending it rearing back with a screech. Godzilla leapt free, the wound in his chest slowly healing up. He roared, and countered the lunging cyborg with a tail whip, dodging the red beasts tail that tried to skewer him and jumping away to land near the female. He looked up at her, the female standing a bit taller than his horizontal stance, and growled up at her. The female simply patted him on the shoulder, nodding, and turned to look at the aliens.

"So, we have another one come to die." Said the red beast. "I don't suppose you would be the one to finally answer my challenge?"

"If your challenge involves defeating you and casting you from this city, then yes, I am the one." She spoke, voice coming from the mask-like face.

"Ah, at last, one that can speak!" The red beast roared enthusiastically, before placing a closed fist before his face. "I am he who is the Eternal Roar. Gaonaga, in your tongue. Mine ally here is know as the Heart Eater, for her choice of diet."

"This one smells of blood and metal." The Heart Eater spoke, voice an endless rumbling growl that still sounded oddly insect-like. "A soft creature in a shell, waiting to be broken and sucked dry. I shall eat your heart child. Drain you dry."

"Pay her no mind, she is very persistent with that." Gaonaga spoke, smirking as Heart Eater growled at him. "And what pleasure do we have with this one? What is your title?"

"I am the Dragon of the Lotus." She spoke, sinking slightly into a more ready stance.

"DragonLotus? This interests! Let me test you, I wish to see your blood on my blades before the Eater takes it all."

"It is your blood that will be spilled." Lotus spoke, sinking fully into a stance, before cocking her head to the side ever so slightly. "Well, more than it has been." She said with an amused tone.

"Ah, this one has fire! Befitting a dragon. Come, let us fight!" Gaonaga roared, charging in.

DragonLotus stood her ground, unmoving as the crimson kaiju charged in, launching a stab with its tail at her midsection. She casually stepped aside, grabbing the tail and pulling Gaonaga forward and off balance with deceptive strength. As he stumbled slightly, Godzilla leapt forward, slamming his head into Gaonaga's gut and launching his over his back, where the red beast was met with a rising kick to the jaw from Lotus. Blood-red bolts flew at them, Heart Eater roaring with anger as she unleashed a volley of blasts. Godzilla ducked low and Lotus dodged to the side, the reptile looking back at the dragon. She nodded, dashing forward and ran up his back, launching herself forward at the Eater. Godzilla spun to face Gaonaga, extending his tail to slam against Lotus' feet at just the right angle for her to push off, gaining more speed and distance in her leap. Growling low in his throat, Godzilla watched as Gaonaga picked himself up, snorting and grunting in an amused fashion.

"So, you do have a mind in you. Am I simply unworthy of your graces, or are you unable to speak?" He asked, falling into his own stance, though nothing close to the skilled style of Lotus.

Godzilla looked directly into his eyes with his own red-orange orbs, and sent a thread of emotion and though against his mind. Nothing so sophisticated as words, but conveying a full range of emotion, from anger to interest to pride. The message was instant, simple, and very clear.

_I'm going to kill you._

Gaonaga let out a string of deep-throated roars, a halting sound that was most clearly a boisterous laugh.

"Yes, you I like! Come then, and let us see which falls by the other!"

Gaonaga charged, aiming a spiked shoulder at the other reptile. Godzilla ducked down and dodged to the side, evading the deadly blow. Roaring, Godzilla countered with his own charge, slamming his armoured head into the saurian's exposed side, striking the tiny seem of flesh that sat between the front and back plates of armour. Gaonaga grunted, grinning, and whipped his tail around from above, slapping the side of Godzilla's face with the flat of the blade. Godzilla stumped back slightly, roaring in pain at the dismissive attack, only to be grabbed on either side of his neck and hoisted into the air. Roar-laughing as his lifted his foe above his head, Gaonaga shifted his weight and slammed Godzilla into the ground. He lifted him again, bringing him down, and then again. On the fifth lift, Godzilla hooked his claws on the crown of horns on his enemies head, pulling himself deeper into the grab and headbutting Gaonaga in the face, causing his grasp to shatter. Free from the red monsters grip, Godzilla fell directly onto him, simultaneously pulling himself by the horns and bringing his legs to his chest. He planted his feet on Gaonaga's chest, and pushed himself up and over the creatures head, before kicking off the back of his neck. The sheer force of the awkward bound pushed Gaonaga to the ground under the force of 5,000 tonnes of black and gray flesh. His tail lashed out behind him, and dug a grove in Godzilla's side.

The titanic reptile stumbled, groaning in pain as blood fell from his side, rounding on his downed enemy. The swinging tail lashed out again, and Godzilla ducked low, bringing his massive spines to bare in defense. The two masses of bone met and clashed in a loud thumping clang, and the huge gold blade bounced off the thick spikes. Gaonaga rose spinning, lashing out with his claws and raking red lines along Godzilla's face, forcing the smaller creature to leap away. Bringing his tail up to his face, Gaonaga looked at it, the tiniest chip near the base where it had met the spines.

"Interesting. It has been long years since I met one that could stop my blades, and today I have met two. This is a rare day indeed. You may kill me yet." He said, his voice sounding almost proud.

Godzilla charged, and so did Gaonaga. The black beast was much faster, but the red was larger and significantly out-massed his smaller counterpart by nearly ten times over. The smaller beast had mobility, but the larger one had range. 2 beasts weight more than an aircraft carrier moving at a combined speed near mach 1 met in the center of a very dense section of the city that still hadn't been too damaged.

This was quickly remedied. The two beasts crashed together hard enough to cause a shockwave, shattering any remaining glass for several kilometers and collapsing nearby structures. The two beasts grappled, Gaonaga's obvious advantage in his humanoid state countered by Godzilla's sheer animalistic ferocity and deceptive intelligence. As he hefted Godzilla up with his powerful arms, Gaonaga took a swinging tail to the side of his leg, followed by a knee in the chest. He was forced to set Godzilla back down, and the mutation took his advantage by chomping down on Gaonaga's shoulder. Twisting hard to the side of the off-balance leg, Godzilla hurled his foe to the side, blood spraying from the already injured shoulder. Gaonaga roared and kicked out, catching Godzilla in the chest and launching him away. He rose, and the blue jewel one his head charged with light, the energy lance firing out and blasting into Godzilla's back, blasting a cluster of spines away.

He charged again, catching Godzilla in the chest with a rising knee, and further battered him in midair with a rising uppercut, followed by whipping his tail around and tossing the light monster far over the rooftops to crash down next to a large tower. As Gaonaga stalked his way forward, he was suddenly blasted to the ground by something slamming into his back.

xxxx

DragonLotus sailed through the air, her body tight and angled for maximum speed and distance, a strong wind carrying her further than should have been possible, even with Godzilla's help. As she came down on the still firing cyborg, she curled into a ball and spun, bringing the heavy end of her tail down on the black metal head with a loud clang. She landed perfectly, and slammed both of her fist into the stumbling monster's chest, causing the Heart Eater to skid back with a growling grunt. The Eater recovered swiftly, and thrust its leg out in a powerful kick to Lotus' stomach. She stepped back, recovering her balance just in time to dodge a deadly scything blade attached to the cyborg's elbow. She backstepped again and again, dodging the jagged blades that looked like giant combat knives. In a rage, Heart Eater swung her cannoned-arm at Lotus, the deadly clawed hand sweeping directly at her neck. Taking advantage of the extended strike, Lotus stepped into it and blocked it with her forearm, the other arm flying out in a swift and focused hammer blow to the neck. The Eater stumbled again, swinging its other arm around to unleash a stream of red blasts, only for Lotus to place her hand on the arm, using its momentum and her own lithe form to swing up and over top, hammering a knee into the top of the cyborg's head. Coming down on the other side of the still swinging arm, Lotus slammer her other leg into a kick at the black insectoid's chin, knocking her back with a howl.

Landing in a crouched position on the ground, Lotus had enough time to hear a click and bring her arms up before the mine Heart Eater had planted exploded directly in front of her. She was blown back, landing hard in the rubble, her front smoking and slightly blackened. She rolled to the side as red bolts slammed into the spot she had just been, the black monster charging forward and firing from both cannons. The blood-red blasts blew smoldering holes in the ground as she dodged, black wisps rising from the craters. She could practically feel through heat through the thin shell of armor that guarded her. As she rolled to face upwards, she lashed her leg up in a high kick, a blast of wind catching Heart Eater in the chest and knocking her aim off. Taking her chance, Lotus shot to her feet.

Rushing forward, she dealt a series of precise blows to the onyx monstrosities chest and legs, ducking low to avoid a wide swing from a cannoned arm. Cocking her body and charging a small tornado around her body, Lotus rose with a powerful twisting uppercut directly to the underside of Heart Eater's jaw. The tornado exploded along the blow, lifting both of them up in a rising spiral. Lotus' spin ended with her facing the opposite direction, her opponent lifted twice her height into the air. The Rising Dragon Fist carried the cyborg a several hundred meters up, and then simply dropped her back to the earth. Lotus turned to her foe, the black beast flat on her back from the blow, a small dent visible on the underside of her mandible.

"I would suggest you stay down, but you do not seem the type to listen." DragonLotus spoke to her downed foe. "If you rise, I will kill you."

"You, shall not." Growled out the Heart Eater, her own voice thick with an animalistic growl. "I. Will kill you. Eat you heart and suck you dry!"

Practically floating backwards, the alien kaiju rose, all four barrels aimed at Lotus. The agile monster, ducked and dashed forward, the cannon array firing above and to her sides as the barrels were positioned too wide to catch her up close. She launched herself at the cyborg, planting her hand and rolling forward to push off the ground and slam her feet into the monsters chest. The black beast rose into the air from the force of the blow, only to swing up and over the extended feet and come down behind Lotus. Even as she rose and tried to turn, an elbow blade lashed out and cut a light gash in her side. The light armour served to stop it from cutting too deeply into her flesh, but the thinness of it was insufficient to block the full cut. As red blood coated the blade, Heart Eater seemed to glow red. Letting loose a howl, the cyborg lashed out, faster than before, and sliced another gash down her front. The blood flowed into the blades, and the red bits of the female cyborg glowed massively, bathing the area in red light.

"Now I feast! Drain you dry!" The monster roared, pressing all 4 barrels into DragonLotus' front.

She closed her eyes within the helmet, and the bolts took her full on. The blasts were far stronger than ever before, and carried her up and away with a scream of pain. She crashed through an apartment complex, 4 smoking holes burned in her armor. She lay there in pain, looking through teary eyes at the sky, filled with pillars of smoke from all the destruction. Heart Eater stalked closer, the glow fading, and cackled a loud metallic sound that chilled her blood. A glint caught her eye, and she flipped back up, landing in a crouch. The maneuver filled her with pain, and she gripped her wounded front.

"Die, die, die! Drink your blood and eat your heart, I'll devour you down to the marrow in your bones!"

Slowly standing, she knew the beast wouldn't be able to see the smile behind her masked helmet.

"That will not happen. We've beaten you."

"Srkeeehhheeehheee! I think not. Roar shall kill your friend, and you are here alone, alone with me to drink your blood and eat your heart."

"You're wrong, twice over." She said, standing as straight as she could. "Your ally will lose to Godzilla, of that I am sure."

"Skrahaha, of that he would enjoy. But only once would that make me wrong. How else, child?"

This time, she let her smile seep into her voice, and stepped to the side.

"Simple, I'm not alone."

The cyborg looked confused, or as close as it could come, and stepped forward with a growl. Then her body seized up with a screech, silver lightning dancing across her frame. The machines that covered her body froze and the red glow vanished, leaving her standing there defenseless. DragonLotus stepped forward, ducking low, and growled ferally.

"And I'm not a child." She said as yellow light glowed in her mouth, the mask opening to reveal an orb of flame between human teeth. "I'm a dragon."

She thrust her head forward, and a jet of golden flame spilled out, smashing into the cyborg and blasting her into the air. The fire roared in a maelstrom of heat, the focusing wind turning it into a tornado of flame. The blast carried Heart Eater high into the sky, her cry of pain drowned out by the roar of the fire that sounded so much like a raging dragon. Closing her mouth to end the blaze, DragonLotus smirked behind her closed mask as the black beast fell directly down onto the red own from behind. Her aim, as always, was impeccable. Looking back over her shoulder at the still sparking tower, she couldn't help but grin.

_Well done Suzaku, your toys never fail._

xxxx

Gaonaga threw whatever had hit him off his back as he rose up with a roar, spinning to see what had hit him. He was stunned to see Heart Eater, body locked awkwardly, her six eyes looking frantically in their sockets, a low groan escaping from her frozen open mouth. Raising his gaze from his fallen ally, he beheld the dragon female, walking confidently towards them despite the nasty burns visible through her armour. His gaze turned when he heard a growl, turning to see the black reptile rising from the ground, the wounds he'd inflicted healing. Remarkable, absolutely remarkable. He couldn't put this thing down, and somehow the dragon had disabled Heart Eater, the 2nd strongest monster in the force after himself. He couldn't keep the grin off his face.

"This world is a marvel! So many things that can fight. Twice you've beaten our forces back, and now you seem more than ready to do it again." He almost laughed out, rising to his full height and looking at the dragon.

"You do not seem overly worried about the fact that you're losing." The dragon spoke, coming to stop an equal distance as the black reptile.

"Why should I? This is what I _live_ for! Come on, fight me, both of you! Let me see the full might of this world before it is lost! Come, _**show me your fury!**_" He roared, blue light sparking from his entire body, the entire area shaking from his might.

The black reptile roared back and charged, green light already glowing in its mouth, and the green dragon followed its example, wind spiraling around her form as she dashed forward.

_Yes, come, this is it! This is what I desire! __**Show me what you're made of!**_

xxxx

Godzilla came in a burst of green fire, the blast roaring from his mouth and taking Gaonaga in the face. The red beast powered through the flames, swiping at Godzilla with his massive claws glowing blue. Godzilla ducked to avoid the slash, the claws colliding with the reptile's spines. The sheer thickness of them prevented the claws from cutting right through, but the massive strength behind the blow lifted Godzilla up and hurled him into the air. A light thud sounded at Gaonaga's back as Lotus slammed a kick directly into his spine, not even budging the titan. The crimson kaiju spun, claws lashing at the lighter beast that had struck him. She ducked low, her thin profile allowing her to completely avoid the strike, and slammed a kick into his shin. Again he didn't even flinch, and grabbed her by the head, claws scraping against her helm. She struggled against the crushing grip until a massive fist slammed into her gut, lifting her entire body and making her gasp in pain.

"Come now, you can do better than this!" Gaonaga roared, a constant grin on his face. "Show me the power that defeated the Heart Eater!"

As he drew back for another blow, Godzilla tackled him from behind, latching onto his back and breathing fire directly into his neck. The saurian released his grip on the smaller beast to focus on the larger, and took a high kick to the chin from her for his negligence. He glanced down at her, grinned wider, and kicked her hard enough to leave a small print of his massive foot in her armour. Lotus was thrown back, bouncing and skidding along the streets before crashing into a small lake. Reaching behind his head, Gaonaga grabbed Godzilla back the neck and flung him to his front, smashing his back against his armoured knee. The mutant roared in pain, arching his back and slamming both feet into the red titan's face. His grip loosened, as did several of his fangs, and Godzilla leapt away before he could regain himself.

As he looked at the retreating reptile, the red beast cackle-roared in amusement, and howled at the black beast. As he ran, Godzilla jumped and spun, launching a fireball the smashed directly into Gaonaga's mouth. The red beast hacked and sputtered, glaring at Godzilla. He charged after Godzilla, blue light billowing from his body, and with a growl, Gaonaga leapt. Practically flying along the ground, he came down at Godzilla with a pounding fist the crashed into the ground as the agile reptile dodged aside. The ground exploded, sending dust and concrete high into the air, and a spearing tail lanced out to try and impale the mutation. Swinging his body aside to avoid the spear, Godzilla clamped his teeth down on the extended tail and tried to pull his foe off balance. The crimson behemoth hardly even moved, grinning wide as his superior strength easily outdid the smaller creature. Yanking his tail back with a strong turn, Godzilla was dragged through the air directly into his waiting range. Raising both hands above his head, Gaonaga brought them down in a hammer strike to the center of Godzilla's back, shattering his thickest spines and bending his entire body at the point of impact. A loud crack of breaking spines filled the air, a gasping grunt escaping Godzilla as the air was forced from his lungs and slammed him into the cratered ground.

Looking down at the injured leviathan, the crimson saurian chuckled to himself, stomping down on the injured spot, another crack sounding loud. Godzilla groaned, his back trying to push itself back into place and heal the shattered bones. Lifting his fist behind him, Gaonaga slammed his fist downwards at Godzilla's neck. Before it could impact, the black beast pushed himself to the side and slammed his tail full speed into the side of his face. The blow tore open the skin and knocked his head aside, his own strike flying wide and smashing ineffectually into the rubble. Still on his side before the behemoth, Godzilla lashed out with his claws, tearing into the armoured knee and digging all the way to slice thin lines in the flesh beneath. Gaonaga reared back at the sudden injury, and Godzilla turned slightly to dig into the earth. Roaring to the skies, the red monster glared down into the hole, before gazing at his injured leg.

The flying kick caught him in the back and made him stumble forward, a second kick pushing him further. Lotus struck again, throwing all her weight into pushing the larger kaiju off balance, his thick legs like tree-trucks allowing him to stay standing. Pushing off his back and into the air, she pulled her legs in and spun to slam her clublike tail end into the back of his skull. As he stumbled, she came down to a perfect parallel with his back, extending both legs into a stomp to his spine the shoved him off his feet. He fell forward, tripping in the hole and crashing to the ground. His scything tail lashed out wildly, nearly taking her head off as she hopped back to a safe distance. Gaonaga pushed himself up, growling with fury as he did, before a loud "shink" had him throwing himself up with a pained howl. Three red lines painted the front of the beasts body, as Godzilla pushed himself out of his place in the hole with a roar.

Running forward, Lotus sent a twisting kick to the crimson beasts throat, fully pushing him off his feet. Glancing over at her ally, she rushed around and away from the red titan. Glancing at the downed monster, Godzilla snorted and followed. By the time he fully regained himself and pushed his way back to standing tall, Gaonaga noticed the absence of the two in front of him. Turning to look to the sides, his eyes widened as he heard a humming behind him and spun around. Roughly 3 kilometers away, the two monsters stood with their mouths wide open, one filled with blue fire, the other with gold. Smirking at their show of force, the red behemoth roared in challenge, and the blue light suffusing his body gathered in the gem on his forehead. The three of them stood, light gathering and the air warping, and as one they roared and fired.

The massive blue torrent met the concentrated gold, and they twisted together in a deep red blaze that was near as large as either of its masters. The blue energy lance warped and exploded out with a green glow in the center, the tip extended like an actual spear. The two huge forces crossed the distance between each other in less than a second, crashing together in a miniature explosion, the sheer power slowly digging a crater beneath them. Clashing in a titanic show of power, waves of additional power flying from each of the creatures powering them to meet at the center in a temporary flow of energy that pushed the expanding vortex in the center back and forth. The match continued in a perfect stalemate for several seconds, the two blazes more powerful but less focused than the blue-green one, until one of those blazes failed. her throat burning and hurt from the extended blast, DragonLotus closed her mouth and fell to her knees, panting and clutching her throat. Left alone to face the power of the lance, the blue flame began to be pushed back.

Godzilla roared as he fired, the blue blast meeting its counterpart with increasing difficult, and Gaonaga smiled wide as the blast pushed inexorably towards the weaker beast. The immense shockwave released from his forehead did its best to push him out of alignment, but he had long since learned how to counteract that. Nothing would force him loose from this, nothing would stop his power from overwhelming his foes. He roared, long and loud, an prideful thing that spoke to his name.

"Now you _faaaaaaaall_!" He roared, and pushed one last wave of energy into his cannonade.

The lance pushed its wave through the fire, crashing through the less focused blast with relentless power. An instant before it struck, Godzilla slid his tail under DragonLotus, lifting her up. She grabbed onto it tight, and Godzilla ceased his blast and jumped. The luminous blast covered the remaining distance and detonated in the spot where the two of them had been, the massive concussive force exploding outward in a massive orb of pure destruction. It also proceeded to literally shove Godzilla and DragonLotus through the air, directly at Gaonaga. His eyes went wide as they came, faster than he could react, the glow fading from his jewel. With a roar that outdid his own, Godzilla fell from the sky like a missile, directly at him.

The reptilian mutant smashed into his chest with a massive "_crack_," one that wasn't front Godzilla. Rolling ass over end, Godzilla whipped his tail at the red beast, Lotus still holding on. She let go at the perfect angle and crashed into the cracked white plate of armour with a devastating kick that warped the plate and pushed Gaonaga off the ground and back through the air to land awkwardly a few hundred meters away. Yet he remained standing, and speared his tail forward in counter. Lotus sidestepped, grabbing on with both hands and pulling with all her might, pulling him back towards her just in time for Godzilla to headbutt him in the chest. The force knocked him back, and allowed Lotus to pull herself by the tail into another attack, slamming both feet just above Godzilla's head. She pushed off the armour, landing on Godzilla's hindquarters as he shoulder slammed Gaonaga again. Planting her hands on Godzilla's shoulders, she pushed her legs beneath her and smashed both heals into the top of the plate. Letting go to land behind the black lizard, she watched as Godzilla unleashed a blaze of green fire into the red titans chest. Gaonaga stumped back, unable to recover from the constant assault, swinging awkwardly in an attempt to counter. Godzilla ducked low, growling with an animalistic glee as he copied the move with much more success. Swinging his right arm forward with all his might, Godzilla racked his claws from hip to shoulder, the armour parting under the deadly talons. Three lines slashed full through the bony plate, and a small spray of blood flew from each. Ducking to the side, Gaonaga could almost see the grin the black mutant gave him. In his place came DragonLotus, silent despite the force of her attack

She slammed both fists in a double hammer-blow directly into the center of his plates with a crash, and the bone broke apart. The armour exploded in a shower of white shards as the powerful strike shattered the weakened structure, leaving the flesh bellow exposed. Twisting, Lotus slammed her elbow into his chest, forcing the air from his lungs and caving the flesh inward, a grunt escaping from the red titan from the force. Reaching up with her other hand, Lotus grabbed him by the horns and brought his face down on her rising knee, slamming his jaws together with a small spurt of blood. She struck again at his neck, making him gag as it caved, and finally pushed away with a kick to his chest. He stumbled back, eyes unfocused and bleeding all over, only to be slammed again as Godzilla crashed into his exposed gut, lifted him into the air, and tossed him to the side. Landing hard with a grunt, Gaonaga made to rise, only to feel a pressure on his arm. Pressing one foot against the found in his shoulder, gripping his arm by the hand, DragonLotus twisted the arm in its injured socked to the sound of ripping flesh. The crimson kaiju howled, hurling himself to his feet with Lotus still on his arm, and swung his tail above her like a waiting guillotine.

With a roar, he brought it down.

And then Godzilla appeared at his arm, sank his teeth into the flesh of his wrist, pulled his legs in from beneath him, and slid under as DragonLotus grabbed his spines. The force of the turn twisted the already damaged flesh of the arm loose, and the entire arm came off with a wet ripping sound and a howling roar of agony. Gaonaga fell to his knees, blood spilling from his mouth, chest, leg, and shoulder, turning with bleary eyes to see the two standing behind him, his severed arm held in the reptiles mouth. He hacked up some blood, reared his head back, and laughed.

"Gragragragragra! Well done, well done!" He said almost cheerily, smiling despite his pain. "You truly are vicious fighters little ones. I praise you!"

He felt the air, closing his eyes, and cursed to himself.

"And I apologize. Once more, my life is taken from your grasp beyond my control. I am honored to have faced you."

The white light began to form above him, and he looked at the two with emerald eyes.

"You were truly strong foes. I am glad I faced you before this world was turned to ash. I wish we could fight again, but it likely will not come to be. Farewell, and fight well come your deaths."

The sphere of light formed around him, a second nearby forming over the still disabled heart Eater, enclosing the two. With a loud hum and a flash, the two were gone, along with a bit of ground beneath them.

The two defenders of earth watched in silence, each thinking their own thoughts on this development. With a grunt, Godzilla turned and began to walk away, back to the JSDF compound. In silence, DragonLotus followed.

xxxx

The white orb burst, depositing Gaonaga on the stone floor, blood quickly pooling on the gray rock. He growled, anger swelling at once again being taken before the end. Before him stood a small army, gathered before the great stone of amber crystal. Picking himself up, ignoring the blood-loss, he growled up at the one who had taken his glory.

"Again you refuse me. _Honorless cretin!_"

The reply was a calm one, an even voice that sounded too much like drawn steel.

"You are nothing but a tool in this. You know this. Do not try me for your own worthless ideals. You will serve until I no longer have a use for you, and that shall not be for many eons. Megdaius, take Roar to the healing chambers. He is to be back in fighting condition within the stome."

"As you say, my king." The shelled mass of writhing serpents spoke, lifting Gaonaga off the ground with a humming ping.

As he floated away, Gaonaga made one last insult. "Beware, oh lord, for this tool is sharp and like to cut its wielder."

Not even smirking, the lord of the gathered monsters spoke as ever. "Your blade is not sharp enough. No tool made by mortal hands can hope to scratch a god."

* * *

Welp, that's that uploaded. Hope you enjoyed a taste of the real fun that is to come.


	20. Chapter 19

Himura stood with Suzaku, Dolph, and Emily on the JSDF airfield. A little ways away stood Dr Tatopoulus and Admiral Gordon, along with a team of mutant soldiers, staring into the distance at the pillars of smoke billowing far away. All of them waited and watched as two forms came from the direction of the destruction, the ground shaking slightly as they came. Godzilla walked up and stood before Nick, looking down at him with an amused glint in his eyes. The giant female stopped just beyond where he was, sitting down and crossing her legs.

Despite all the oddities and impossibilities those gathered had witnessed, nothing was quite so surreal as seeing a 90 meter tall armoured dragon woman apparently meditating on the tarmac of a military compound. Several minutes passed in silence, everyone waiting on the off chance that the kaiju female would explain just where she had come from and why she had helped. Then, the burnt wounds visible through her armour began to glow with a yellow light. Slowly, very slowly, the wounds began to heal, blackened flacks pealing away to allow fresh flesh and muscle to take its place. The process was very slow, nothing close to what Godzilla could do, but steadily the wounds vanished, revealing tanned flesh beneath. As the wounds fully closed, the armour itself began flowing like water back into place, and after roughly 12 minutes, her figure was as pristine as it had began. Nodding, the female monster placed a hand to the jeweled flower on her chest, and gave a small roar.

Everything save the flower turned into white light, flowing into the center and vanishing, the flower itself falling to the ground. As the last of the light was sucked inside, the flower closed in on itself, and burst away in a flash of light, leaving a human figure where it had been. She cracked her neck and patted her stomach where the wounds had been, apparently satisfied at the recovery. Suzaku walked forward, a split second before Gordon did, and spoke before anyone else could.

"You did well." He said, his voice somewhat reserved. "I am glad to see you were not too badly hurt."

Mara just looked at him and smiled slightly, patting him on the shoulder. "I would not have gone had I not thought myself capable. Besides, I knew your machine was nearby. You always have me supported, Suzaku."

"Not to interrupt, but seeing as how it's my job to, I'd like an explanation on this, Miyamoto." Gordon said gruffly.

"Sir. This is Mara Padma, my contact from Tibet. I believe you would know her better as U.K.S number Seven dash three. Or as her own designation, the Dragon of the Lotus." Suzaku said calmly.

"Ah, well, that explains that then." Gordon said, sighing. "You could have informed us as to her being able to do that."

"I was going to sir, but it was my day off." Suzaku said, deadpan.

"Of course it was." Gordon said, one eye twitching slightly, before smirking. "Well, glad to know we have some help. I don't suppose she's got any friends?"

"I'm afraid not, sir." Mara said, bowing slightly. "I am the only one of my kind."

"Better then nothing I guess. Ah well. I guess you lot still have your day off, but spend it in the compound. There's two more monsters left unaccounted for, and I'd rather not have them sneak up on us like the last two."

Gordon motioned for the mutants to head back inside, and turned to go himself. Just as he began to walk, he stopped, and turned back to look at Suzaku.

"Oh, and Miyamoto. Nice job zapping the cyborg. We're gonna want some more of those."

"Yes sir." Suzaku answered with a nod.

Himura, as ever, was feeling utterly lost. And he could swear the American Godzilla was smirking at him.

xxxx

Suzaku walked down the hall, followed by his three comrades and Himura. He had thought over Dr. Tatopoulu's proposition, and realized with a certain numbness that there really wasn't any choice in helping or not. Help, and create something that would probably condemn him to any horrible afterlife if one existed. Do nothing, and risk the extinction of the human race. No real choice at all. He looked back at Himura, knowing he'd be damning him too, but knowing he couldn't do it without him.

"Himura, if I may." He said, trying to figure a good way of putting things.

"What is it, Miyamoto?" The man answered, noticeably confused.

"I would like to talk with you about the proposition I had."

"Of course, what is it?"

"Not here. I think it best if I find doctor Tatopoulus first. I would rather have him with us before I set out to explain." He said, already formulating the best way of doing things.

"What does he have to do with this?"

"He is the one who gave me the assignment. I would ask for Gordon, but it is likely he will be busy in the days to come, and this cannot wait."

"Alright. It sounds serious, so I'll take your word for it."

"Thank you, Himura." He said with a nod, turning to Mara.

"Would you come with me for now, Padma? I wish to discuss today."

"Very well, I have little else to do in this dreary place." She answered, following him as he turned down a hallway away from the main building. They walked for a time in silence, taking turns deeper into the depths of the compound, until Mara stopped.

"We are alone. No one will hear us."

He stopped as well, looking at her and sighing, sitting on the floor.

"Damnit. I finally get to the point where I can make a difference and now the world is being turned to chaos. Ten years I have spent building up an organization, gaining supporters, knowledge, resources. Months of careful planning just to get a single organization to join for no other purpose than prestige of name. Failure after failure, time and again being dismissed because we do not have grand names put to us or major backers. And when we finally gain people like Niko Tatopoulus and even success in the JSDF itself, the world turns on its head and I am forced to go against the goal that has defined me for half my life, and I have no choice in the matter!"

He slumped against the wall, holding his head. Mara sat next to him, not touching or saying words of comfort. She knew it would make no difference.

"And now I need to drag others into this, though I doubt they will see it as the horror I do. Certainly, they will see the tragedy, but they will not face the moral suicide I must make to make this a reality. Mara...what would you do if you were in my place?"

She sat for a time, saying nothing, thinking it over. "I would do what I needed to. If history would see you as a monster for ensuring that history is written, then that must be your sacrifice. I would help if I could, but I don't have your mind. I will fight in the field, and you will fight in the lab. Both of us will play our part, and I only hope we both live to see its end."

He looked at her carefully, mind working, then simply gazed ahead at the far wall. "You know something you are not telling me."

"We all have our secrets."

xxxx

Floating in the dark. His dreamless sleep was growing painful. He could feel he needed to be awake, to do something. Something to defend, or to destroy, or maybe to create. He wasn't sure. He felt like his flesh was dying, trapped in nothingness and slowly fading away. He tried to struggle free, but his mind wasn't in his body.

He was buried away somewhere dark, in a prison of his own mind. He couldn't dream, because then he would remember. Then he would know what the eyes that watched him meant.

Those blank red eyes filled with hate.


	21. Chapter 20

Look at all these copyrights I don't own.

* * *

Himura sat in a chair at a large meeting table, Suzaku on the other side, and Dr. Tatopoulus to the man's right. They had been looking over a datapad, making notes and discussing the changes, with Tatopoulus occasionally glancing off in an apparently random direction for a few seconds before going back to the pad. Himura just sat, not sure what he was supposed to be doing. Suzaku had called him in to discuss their cooperation he'd agreed upon, and he'd spent a good 8 minutes after being ushered in just sitting and watching the two men talk. After another minute passed, the two men seemed to agree on something, and Suzaku handed the pad to Himura.

"I want you to take a look at this and tell me what is wrong with it." Suzaku said calmly.

Himura looked it over, scrolling up and down through what seemed to be half math equation, half blueprint. He stopped at a line that seemed to be an energy flow directed to enhance a separate flow.

"Here." He pointed to it, drawing a small correction note on a small list to the side. "This energy expenditure is a third of a percent too high. It'll destabilize the effect after a few seconds."

"Good. Continue."

He looked again, going over what seemed to be the most important stats. "Here, this is a tenth of a percent too low. It won't be able to sustain the reaction properly. And here, this needs to be on a slightly lower frequency. And then this later frequency needs to be increased to compensate. And this, here, this isn't a large enough power input. It needs to be boosted by three watts.  
"And what material is being used for this conduit, number sixteen?" He asked, already sure he knew.

"SXR titanium alloy." Tatopoulus answered, watching him intently.

"That won't be enough to withstand this force variable. It needs an increased density."

"Triulxilia?" Suzaku queried, eyes flashing with understanding.

"Right. You'll need to increase the total material by half a tonne along the entirety of this length, but it'll hold up much better, to at least three consecutive activations." Himura said with a nod.

"I see. Yes, that makes sense." Nick said, looking at Suzaku. "I see your reasoning for him."

"Indeed, his insight is impeccable. You should study him for mutation."

Himura looked at the data for a few seconds before looking up in confusion. "Did you just make a joke?"

"As always, your powers of perception are astounding." Suzaku deadpanned.

Himura just looked at him for a few moments, shrugged, and went back to studying the datapad. Another few minutes passed, a tweak there, an increase there, and soon it became apparent that whatever this was wasn't a normal project. The materials required, the energy requirements, the mathematics. All of it pointed to something seriously out of the ordinary, even for an anti-kaiju project. Ticking another figure up one decimal, Himura stopped for a second to analyze his change, looking closely at it.

"This math's not right." He said, pushing it slightly towards Suzaku and Nick so they could see where he was pointing. "This energy output is too large. You can't get this sort of reaction out of a maser array."

"It is not a maser, Himura." Suzaku said, glancing at Nick. "And the math is not wrong."

Himura looked down at it again, checking all of his previous changes and formula to see if he'd missed something. "But that's not possible. This effect, right here, you can't get that, not even with a nuclear reaction. The energy required...would be..."

He stopped, looking at the math, eyes widening slightly. He looked back over everything, taking note of a few key points, writing notes on the side in a list of strange components, inputs, outputs, frequencies, over and again things that didn't make sense in any traditional weapon, even a mecha. Material requirements didn't make sense, they were too large even for a fortress-class. The energy requirement was more than any traditional reactor could put out, he'd never even heard of something that could put this much out, not even the American experimental Jaeger engine.

Then he caught it.

He thought it had been a typo, a misplaced decimal or some such. 120.0 meters. He checked further down the blueprint, catching three separate figures that confirmed his suspicion. Not 120, 1200. 8 times the size of the Gotengo, 4 times larger than even the _Shinryu_. He checked again, just to be sure, and there was no doubt. This thing was massive, rivaling the Vortaak ultra-submarine in size. The sheer cost of the materials alone was staggering, not to mention how many people it would take to crew, the expenses of arming it properly, how ludicrous operating its reactor would be.

He kept reading, making tiny changes as he went. He reached another grossly large energy figure, looked up at the two, looked back, kept reading. After the third of these figures, he rechecked the last two, wrote all three on the side, kept going. As he continued, the figures continued, growing larger and larger. He looked at the associated figures, the steady inputs, the slight increases in power, the increasingly large energy cost. A building reaction, a huge one. A truly impossible one, judging by the continually larger figures.

Then, he reached a series of calculations that he'd never even seen before. He had to take a moment just to be sure he hadn't somehow entered some other theoretical file. It wasn't simply an energy reaction figure, or some form of power generator. It was an entirely separate train of thought, not one involving mass or energy, but time and space. He watched as the figures painted a picture of an expanding field, contained within itself and yet somehow separated from everything else, not as a side effect, but as a function. _The_ function, the most important function of this entire array.

With a manic fervor, he read everything, piecing together a picture he never thought he'd even have the chance to see. The most famous weapon ever devised by man, the most legendary and the most reviled. The weapon the had, above even the atomic bomb, rewritten the annals of history. Of which only one had ever been constructed. The weapon that was deemed a war crime of the highest order to even propose constructing.

"This...this is the Dimension Tide." He said, his eyes widening in horror. "This is a dimensional emitter. This...this is-"

"No, it's not." Dr. Tatopoulus said, taking the datapad, scrolling down, and handing it back. "Finish reading first."

Glancing at him for a moment, Himura went back to looking, now paying attention to every detail while also considering every aspect of the bigger picture. Slowly, the massive figures began to make sense. The materials needed, the energy requirements, the sheer size of the thing, the Dimension Tide effect. The DT wasn't the primary weapon, it was the _safety feature_! He finished reading through it, and handed it back, his hand shaking.

"This is...is this what I think it is?" He said, his voice soft.

"You know what this is, Himura." Suzaku said, looking over at Nick.

"But, this is insane! Something like this, even against monsters, it's a crime against nature itself!" He all but shouted, a numbness running down his spine.

"No, it is not." Suzaku said, before looking behind Himura. "Admiral Gordon, I believe you are on."

Himura spun, and sure enough, there was Gordon, standing at the doorway. The old man walked up and sat at the head of the table, pressing a button on the underside and calling up a display. The image immediately settled on a timeline of events, from the first firing of the Dimension Tide back in 2000 to the last firing in 2007.

"Kid, there's something we gotta go over before I can really explain what you just read." Gordon said, enlarging the last date. "Two thousand seven. The end of the Vortaak war. You would have been just a boy during that war, kid, so you couldn't remember how it was. The planet was is ruins, civilization was on the brink, people were losing all hope, the human race itself was on the brink of extinction. Four years of near constant struggle against alien elements, since the Xilian rebel forces attacked us and I took command of what was left of the EDF during and after operation Final War. The crystal radiation had wreaked havoc all over the globe, over three percent of the total landmass was completely rearranged, and over half of the major cities suffered some sort of damage, dozens being outright destroyed, such as the volcanic effects in Seattle and the seismic destruction of San Francisco. Places like London were completely destroyed. More than half the total EDF forces were destroyed in Final War alone, and casualties just kept up throughout the war. By the end of it, humanity was almost out of options.  
"Then, we got a break. All the monsters had gathered on Monster Island, the crystal mutant Krystalak was pretty much eaten by SpaceGodzilla, which sucked all the crystal radiation right into that point. We had all of them, dozens of monsters, all in one place. We were able to lure them all to the Mariana Trench using the technology recovered from the Vortaak mothership, get them all as far from civilization as we could.  
"And then, we fired the Dimension Tide. We erased them all from the face of the earth, trapped them in some other dimension. We freed the world from the monster threat entirely. You should have seen the command room when all the bio-signals vanished off our satellites. I've never seen people that happy. We thought we'd done it, finally freed the world from have a century of chaos. Humanity would survive."

Gordon sat, staring at Himura, waiting for him to say the obvious answer. He gulped, knowing what was expected, and answered.

"And then the Pacific Invasion began."

"Right. Not a month later, monsters began appearing out of the trench. The world went nuts. We'd lost all out mechs fighting the Vortaak, and every monster that could have helped had vanished into the dimensional rip. We were on our own, with no way to fight back. For months, we just took it, nothing more we could do. Coastal cities were ruined, thousands died, and trying to fight back revealed that we couldn't even kill them with what weapons we had because their damn _blood_ would finish what the bodies started."

"And then the Jeager program was invented." Himura said, only to be stopped by a look from Gordon.

"Yeah, that's what people think. You think we trudged something like that up in a year? Hell no. The Jaeger program existed well before that. Back in nineteen eighty six, during the twelfth annual Efforts Against Giant Monsters Convention in Geneva. A German professor, Wilhelm Mercer, put forth the idea for a worldwide collaborative effort in combating giant monsters. His ideas were given merit, but on the whole deemed unnecessary. The technology simply wasn't there. Whatever we could make would have been worthless against the newly reemerged Godzilla, and so his ideas got him a prize, a speech, and nothing else. His ideas languished for twenty years, until a relative of his found his old notes near the end of the war. The old man had died six years after presenting his ideas, a year before the technology to create Mechagodzilla two was invented. Who knows how many lives could have been saved if the EDF had managed to find his notes sooner.  
"Regardless, we found them, and put them into work as soon as the first kaiju walked out of that ocean and started killing people. We fought back, and scored the first real human-made kaiju kills. You should have seen the parades that were thrown, the events and museums and people. They'd thought for years they were all doomed, and were ready to just give up once our superweapon had backfired like that. But now, we had real weapons, ones controlled by humans, brave men and woman risking their lives, literally going out their and kicking kaiju ass. Faces people could believe in, ones that didn't look like our enemy, ones that all the nations of the world could make, since it didn't rely on alien tech, just some reverse-engineered know-how. The world had hope again. In the words of the Marshal, Lieutenant Commander Stacker Pentecost, 'Today, at the edge of our hope, at the end of our time, we have chosen not only to believe in ourselves, but in each other.'"

Himura, and every schoolchild since 2014, knew the words by heart. "Today we face the monsters that are at our door and bring the fight to them! Today, we are cancelling the apocalypse!"

"Damn right. Pentecost was a real soldier. Still miss him." Gordon grunted, then scrolled to a new page, the one that had gone down in history above all otters. "So, we fought back. We beat them out of our cities, we pushed them back into the ocean, and we took the fight to the rim itself. Operation Pacific Rim; Thirty Two Jaeger units piloted by seventy six individuals, backed up by damn near everything we could toss in with them. The true show of humanities power, beating back whatever threat the universe could throw at us  
"We killed over a dozen kaiju around that trench, beating them down through superior numbers and firepower. It was the crowning moment of humanities struggles against the giant monster. We pushed in to the very edge of that trench, throwing the broken and bloody bodies of our enemies into the darkness. I was watching, sitting in that same damn chair, looking out through thirty two cameras as we tossed in a device made to close the wormhole. Made from the Dimension Tide tech, it didn't open any holes, just closed them. Damn thing worked like a charm. The portal closed, and took all those corpses with it."

Gordon looked up at the images, a small army of 200+ ft tall machines of war, walking out into the ocean to the screaming of millions.

"And then it spat something back out. Thirteen monsters that had gone in half a decade before, two hunks of scrap metal that used to be our Mechagodzilla's, and two creatures the world never needed to see." Gordon reached into his coat and pulled out a cigar, lighting it up with a lighter Himura never saw him draw. He took a long drag, blew out the smoke, then continued. "Godzilla, mutated almost beyond recognition, and something three times his size and pissed as unholy hell. Our Jaeger pilots recognized the one, knew what that meant for the other, and attacked." He took another smoke and practically spat it back out. "Six hours forty nine minutes. That's how long the battle took. We told the rest of the world the footage was lost due to the dimensional backlash. Told them our Jeagers fought for that long alongside Godzilla against that thing."

Himura knew this, the whole world did. The last great stand of the Jeagers alongside the returned "Super" Godzilla against a class VI monster later named Bagan.

"Load'a bullshit." Gordon said as he switched the image to what looked like a huge dome of blue light, the only public image of the end of the fight. "Thirteen minutes twelve seconds. That's how long they lasted. Half of them, including the vaunted Gipsy Danger, were wiped out in one attack. Thirty six men and woman, gone, just like that. The rest were destroyed like gnats, just swatted if they got too close. A few made a run for it and escaped. Two of the monsters that had emerged along with Godzilla and that thing died trying to help him, no more use than the Jaegers."

"Godzilla was there too, my Godzilla I mean." Tatopoulus said, looking at the same image. "He was practically dead, missing his left leg, most of his spines, over half of his skin. As he was recovering later we found he'd had over sixty percent of his skeleton broken. One of the Jaegers pulled him free, flew him to safety. It was the one out of Brazil. Stinger Minuano, piloted by Samuel Rodrigues. Godzilla had saved his family when he was younger, and he'd wanted to return the favor. He's the reason Godzilla even survived."

"He was a brave man. They all were." Gordon said sadly. "Out of the seventy six people sent, thirteen survived. Eight from Jaegers that had managed to escape, three from wrecks that hadn't been totally destroyed. Two had managed to eject. There were six others that had ejected, waiting for rescue when they got caught in the blast. We watched helpless as Godzilla fought that thing for six hours before he killed it in the largest nuclear event ever seen. They say you could see the glow from half the world away. I was half a mile underground when it went off, and all I saw was white as half the remaining screens went pure white. In the end, humanities greatest weapons were tossed aside like pebbles in a storm, utterly useless. We hid it from the world. There would have been panic, suicides, who knows what else. Humanity had spent half a decade recovering, fighting back, and all that was made useless by a single monster. We still don't know where the hell it even came from. What we do know is much worse."

Gordon flipped to another image, a large hunk of charred meat the size of a whale sitting in a lab surrounded by enough masers to disintegrate it outright. "The kaiju we'd been fighting matched the DNA found in the creatures remains. We ran experiments, found the truth. The monsters that had been attacking us all those years? Nothing more than bits of flesh that had fallen off while it had been fighting Godzilla God knows where, had fell through the crack that was the wormhole, and wound up on our side to regenerate. We'd been faced with extinction by nothing more that glorified skin cells, our greatest weapons goddamn cleanup!"

Gordon shut off the display, taking one last smoke before tossing it away. Himura just stared at him, the legendary admiral seeming to just age before is eyes. Suzaku slid the pad back to Himura and pressed a button, the data changing to a finished schematic.

"That is why we need this weapon. Because if something like Bagan ever attacks the Earth again, we will not have Godzilla here to defend it. To defend us."

"We need something that can defeat any foe, no matter how strong." Nick said, joining Suzaku. "Now more than ever, with these new alien monsters able to appear at any place and time."

Gordon stood up, picking up his walking cane, and hefting it over his shoulders like the sword it contained. "That's why we're gonna damn ourselves forever by making it. We're going to commit a crime against nature because the only alternative is to risk the death of not just the human race, but the planet itself."

He flipped the sheathed sword over and pointed at the finished image on the datapad, voice resolute. "That's why we need you to help us finish it. Because we don't have any other choice in the matter."

Himura looked at Gordon, then to Suzaku and Tatopoulus, then down at the image. A machine 1200 meters long, weighing 1,200,000 tonnes, wielding technologies revolutionary and utterly terrifying. The name stood boldly at the top, and Himura couldn't help a frightened laugh at how utterly fitting it all was.

Anti-Kaiju Weapon: EX Antimatter cannon Susanoo.


	22. Chapter 21

Himura spent the next few days working on minute improvements to the Susanoo project, working in his room or a small office that had been set aside for him. The project was just secret enough to warrant his working on it requiring discretion, so he was stuck away from anyone who wasn't either JSDF top brass, the upper echelons of the science divisions, and Suzaku. Whereas before he'd found working in the labs and command center had the air of movement and importance, working on his own didn't even feel like it was some classified assignment that was something to be proud of. It made him feel like he was working on the atom bomb, readying it to be dropped on Japan.

_Now we are all sons of bitches._

The more he improved it, the more power the weapon would be able to produce, and the more power it could produce, the greater it's destructive results. Already, it was sitting just under a teraton of tnt equivilant, enough power to _erase_ several dozen kilometers from the face of the earth. He considered for a moment, unsure if he wanted to continue, then as he had a dozen times before, he ticked a digit to a better one and kept going. The figures all went up a notch, and he moved on with his improvements.

He finished the revision, saved it into the file, and sent it to the main science division for review. Finally done with the day's work of helping create the most dangerous weapon ever made, Himura picked himself up from his chair and headed out the door. Thoroughly tired of being alone for the day, he headed down the hall to the main area where he figured at least one or two people would be about. He was disappointed to find the area deserted, still too early in the day for anyone to have finished at their stations, and sat on one of the many empty seats.

He woke with a start when someone sat beside him, having fallen asleep due to exhaustion from all the mental strain. He looked to see Dolph having plopped down next to him, handing him a cup of coffee. He took it, downed a bit, almost spat it back out from how bitter it was, and set it on the small table to his right.

"Thanks." He said, trying to shake off the taste.

"No problem, you looked like you needed it." Dolph said, sipping his own cup. "Want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"Whatever it is you have to talk about." Dolph said simply. "You look like you have something on your mind."

"Ah. Well, I'm not sure I _can_ talk about it to be honest."

"Classified?"

"Yeah."

"Suzaku?"

"Um, yeah, how di-"

"I'm his second in command, basically." Dolph answered with a shrug. "I know what he knows, even if he doesn't want me to. I know what you're working on, have for months. It's one of the worst kept secrets for those who know how to look right."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"You think something like that gets built from purely JSDF resources?" He said with a smirk. "Hardly. The materials are hard to come by, and Japan as a whole simply doesn't have what it needs to build it alone. So there've been shipments, small ones, over many months and several years, but they're easy enough to follow. Not only that, but the people from other countries helping make this thing a reality aren't perfect when it comes to hiding it. No matter how much you try, if there's information on something, it'll find its way out eventually."

"I figured the JSDF wasn't making it alone." Himura said, looking somewhere in front of him. "But we'd be the ones to take the blame, wouldn't we?"

"Of course. The JSDF is the organization most likely to make it, having the resources and the people. More than that, they're also the ones most likely to survive whatever backlash it creates. The world _needs_ the JSDF, so no matter how much a group of politicians or radicals shout over how inhumane and a crime against humanity it is, no one would dare actually try and destroy the organization. Anyone that did would be deemed criminally insane and locked up. Make no mistake, no matter what anyone thinks, the world knows something came out of the Pacific Rim operation that resulted in the near-total destruction of the EDFs forces at the time. And whatever that was needs a weapon that can take it down. Give it one successful run, and people will call it a godsend."

"And if the run is unsuccessful?"

"Well, if there was anything that could survive it, who would be left to complain?" He finished with a rather grim shrug.

They sat for a moment in silence, before Dolph shrugged again and stood. "Come on, let's talk business."

Not having anything better to do, Himura opted to follow him.

xxxx

They walked for a few minutes without any clear direction, Dolph leading him along and Himura following. He wasn't really complaining though, as it helped him get fully awake and working out his cramped muscles. They wandered down this hallway and that, eventually turning down a seemingly random corner. Dolph walked up to the first door on the right, opened it up and stepped inside, motioning for Himura to follow behind him.

He entered to find a surprisingly quaint little room, finding what amounted to a break room with a few couches and a snack machine. Dolph and Emily were already seated, so he took the couch opposite them. He took the cup of tea offered by Emily, relaxed in his seat, and waited.

"So, any particular reason for bringing me here?" He asked, taking a sip of tea.

"Simple, you seem to have a lot on your mind, and need an explanation. So, in my infinite wisdom, I decided it was story time."

"Story time." Himura said deadpan.

"Yep."

"So you're going to be my exposition." Himura said with a slight smirk.

"If that's how you want to put it, then yes."

"And why, pray tell, am I in need of this exactly?"

"Simple, you're worried about what you're doing, and if you're worried about that, then it means you're not entirely trusting Suzaku. Let's be blunt, the _Susanoo_ may be the JSDFs nightmarish lovechild, but Suzaku's the one who brought you in to help, so he's the one you wonder about. of course, that's understandable, since he's good at being a mystery to everyone who doesn't know him. Something I'm going to try and remedy.  
"Now, the first thing is how exactly he's able to do what he does. He may be a genius when it comes to managing existing technologies and getting people to follow him, but charisma and IQ don't simply earn one the material worth of a major corporation. You see, his father used to work as the owner of a steel plant that worked to repair Japan after every monster attack, just one of many dozens. Now, a decent occupation, but not exactly a millionaire maker. Well, come Final Wars and his was one of the few major plants still standing, and was far enough inland to survive the massive upheavals caused by the crystal radiation. By the Jaeger offensive, it had managed to grow enough to be one of the major providers for the primary plating used for repairs and constructing the newer models. Managed to make quite a bit of money. Still, the financial history is much less interesting than the personal reason for why Suzaku does what he does.  
"From what he's told me, he grew up watching the seventies Godzilla records, that wonderful age when the name Godzilla was in between periods of being a worldwide menace and sat comfortably as a national hero. A lot of kids were like that, willfully ignoring the times when Godzilla was a menace in place of thinking about the days when he was a friend to humanity, which had resurged with the travels of the American Godzilla and HEAT. But of course, a fascination with monsters and a load of money isn't enough to make someone like Suzaku.  
"You see, he had a friend called Kenta, who went on a little camping trip with his grandfather back in oh four. See, his grandfather enjoyed hunting around Mount Fuji. There, the two stumbled upon a little mutation named Minilla."

Himura's eyes widened, remembering the reports about the child who had lead Minilla 02 across the great distance from the mountain to the ruins of Tokyo, saving the crew of the crashed Gotengo from Godzilla. He had been on his way to being a national, even a worldwide hero, before the crystal radiation drowned a tenth of Honshu is freezing water.

"Listening to the tails of his friend made him really begin to work towards preserving those "Hero" monsters. So, he starts investing in some organizations devoted to monster preservation. Now, he didn't just support them at random, he actually did plenty of research into how they were made and their chances at success. Didn't gain him any fame, but one or two clever buyouts gave him a steady increase in worth and put him on the ground for building his future. He continued doing this for the next few years til he was seventeen, working out of a small building on the outskirts of New Tokyo."

He let it hang in the air, letting Himura work out the dates and significance. His eyes widened as he did, a chill running down his spine.

"Yeah, that's right. The Silver Ghidorah. The day the kings died. Suzaku was there, watching Godzilla fight that thing, tearing it apart. He was there as it exploded in a burst of light, taking Godzilla with it. No trace of either to be found. He was pissed, I can tell you, his hero monster gone just like that. That's what really settled it for him. After that, he put all his efforts into building the base of his organization, gaining support from local groups from across Japan, and finally making his first trip overseas to China in twenty twenty, buying out the Xichuan Dynamics Jaeger weapons developer. After that, he officially created the GMPO, and spent the next six years traveling the world in investigative expeditions while leaving Emily and I to slowly build up his company. Last year, he decided to finally make his big move and signed up for the JSDF science divisions. And the rest, as they say, is history."

Himura looked at him, tea forgotten in front of him, the man just shrugging.

"So you see, Suzaku isn't simply here because he wants to preserve monsters for the sake of preserving them, though that is a reason." Emily said, looking at him calmly. "He owes his life, livelihood, and his very nature to monsters, Godzilla especially. Were it not for the King of the Monsters, he would have certainly been killed during the Ghidorah attack, and that is not even considering everything else Godzilla and other monsters have done for humanity. Think what you will, but he truly believes his existence is simply to ensure that creatures like Godzilla may continue."

"And when it comes to the _Susanoo_, believe me when I say it pains Suzaku more than anyone." Dolph added, looking at him seriously. "For a man devoted to preservation, helping create something that utterly destroys is anathema to his very being. However, he knows its importance, and he knows that humanity may not survive without it. So, despite every misgiving a person could have, he'll make sure it's finished and operating as well as it possibly can. Which is why he brought you in. Because while you may not be his friend, he respects what you can do, and he needs you to make sure it's as perfect as can be. He doesn't care if you hate him or what, he just wants your help. You've given him that, and for that, we thank you."

"Believe what you will of what you do, but hopefully now you will understand more clearly just what that means, to him and to us." Emily finished, setting down her empty cup.

Himura just sat there, thinking about everything. He figured he'd known what Suzaku wanted from him, but hearing it confirmed and the man brought more to light was, perhaps not comforting, but reassuring. He took his tea, took a sip, set it down. He nodded, standing and heading for the door. As he opened it, he stopped for a moment before speaking.

"I'll think of all you've said. Thank you." He said, before walking out the door.

xxxx

It ate his flesh with a dozen maws. Its claws, thick as his arms, tore into his flesh. he roared, charged, was swatted away. Another one died, leaping to strike before simply vanishing in a wave of white. The huge tail crashed down, reverberating the nothingness. It stomped forward, howling like a living storm, its flesh warping between sickly white and a leathery brown, bulging in places, splitting, tearing, flowing over itself like waves. The twisted horns on its head seemed to twist this way and that, not content to settle on one shape or angle. 7 eyes rolled in all directions, never stopping but seeming to glare at everything, blood-red and putrid green and monstrous yellow, the pupils stretching and sinking, growing and vanishing and twisting in on itself. As a catlike thing tried running past, the things side seemed to swell, bursting outwards and grabbing it in a branchlike array of freakish, grasping arms. It pulled the screaming thing inwards, and it vanished with a sickly crunch.

Its fangs grew larger, some falling out to be replaced by more jagged teeth.

He roared, burned, unleashed his power. It cooked the flesh and boiled the blood, and the thing didn't seem to notice, healed before his light even faded. It snapped at him, flapped 3 massive wings that blew him from his feet and sent his sailing through the void. He landed sideways to the thing, looking up at it as it seemed to hang along a wall to him, the twisting nether of the place playing with thoughts and perception. There was nothing here, no time or space, no light or dark. Simply him and the creatures around him and the thing that was his enemy, all of his enemies, intent on devouring them all.

He watched another die, one he knew, its fur and stone cracking and sinking away, exploding in a burst of diamond light that ate into the beast, fought to overcome its power, was overwhelmed, vanished. He watched the light flow to the one above him, gathering the dead to her. Some spell, some magick to defeat the monster. He didn't care, that was not him. He would kill it with his teeth and claws and fire.

He willed himself to fight it, the world morphing to set him on a clear path to it. He rose, charged, light burning in his eyes. He felt his lower half torn away from him, his body floating towards it as its front opened like a giant mouth. His bones were back in place before he was to it, his muscles as he reached it, his skin as he exploded himself away from it in a pulse of power. It didn't care, it just kept coming. he felt something strike him from behind, knock him down as the white light seared overhead, the form of what was once his greatest ally falling to either side of him, just the tips of red wings and tatters of flesh.

He turned red, roared, fired. He punched a hole right through it, watched the flesh burn, watched it heal. His greatest power was nothing. He saw the light rise from the blasted wings, soaring up like its owner was had. He was almost alone now, the others were dying too fast to make a difference. He roared loud enough to shatter the ears of those near him, charged forward on strong legs, seeking to tear the beast apart. It was still growing, nearly twice his size now, far more massive, covered in fangs and spikes and scales, bubbling flesh and grasping tendrils and crystal protrusions, swiveling eyes and gaping maws. He watched the light build in the crown of twisting horns on its head, saw the eyes all lock with his, felt its cackling laugh in his mind.

He never felt the gold like taking him from behind, blasting his flesh clean to be replaced a with stronger one. He never saw the moth burning to ashes behind him, the last of her power spent to give him the chance. He didn't even feel the white light from the beast wash over his front and flow off his new hide like water over rocks.

What he did feel was the bursting spines, the rising power, the golden flame in his gut. He locked eyes with the thing, and he knew it was afraid. His roar chilled it to its twisting bones, and he felt it all collapse, the nothingness replaced with a familiar washing cold.

xxxx

Himura walked out the door and made sure it closed behind him before he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He really hadn't expected to be caught up in all of this. He'd wanted to help fight monsters, sure, maybe gain some recognition and make it on the science council or something in a few years time, but he'd certainly never imagined he'd be dragged into actually saving humanity so soon, especially in such a controversial and serious way.

He was fairly sure there was something ironic in that thought, but he was too distracted at the moment to piece it together.

With nothing else to do, he made his way down the hall back the way he'd come, deciding he needed to clear his head a bit more before he got back to work. He walked down a number of corridors he'd never even been down before, working out his position based on what he knew of the compounds layout. It helped distract him and work his mind just a little, and after a bit of aimless walking he started in a direction he decided would work the best.

It was a few minutes before he made it to his destination. He stopped before the large doors, took a deep breath, and made his way inside. The display chamber hadn't changed since he'd arrived 4 months ago. The walls and ceiling were reinforced glass that opened up to the sky and view of Tokyo in the distance, tall buildings still standing despite the chaos a few days ago. The sky was clear, planes and clouds filling the sky, along with a few fortress-class vessels sitting in defense of the city in case of another attack. If you stood at the end of the room before the tall glass wall, you could even see some of the massive maser turret outside, ever vigilant. The huge glass cases and hanging displays help the statues and models of all of humanities war machines, and the far wall had a series of statues, famous heroes throughout the JSDF and EDF history. It was slightly awing, strangely peaceful, and above all, utterly devoid of anyone else.

He took a seat before the huge double-display of the MG units posed dramatically, the Garuda hanging above them. He would much have been working on one of those, a human-piloted machine that could serve as a symbol of human spirit and ingenuity. But then again, despite their success, both MG units almost killing Godzilla, they had, in the end, all of humanities efforts, it still took creatures like Godzilla to save them again and again. It honestly didn't seem fair. All of their weapons, their growth, all the scientific breakthroughs and physics shattering achievements were required just to survive, and there always seemed to be something stronger, more insane, more impossible that their previous achievements washed off of like rain.

He closed his eyes, and just sat for a while, ruminating on humanity's existence. They had survived as a species for several million years, and in the last 12,000 had risen from little more than wild animals to the most dominant species the world had ever seen. They had gone from gazing at the stars to flying between them, from stone tools to diamond cutting lasers, from making fire to harnessing the atom. As a species, nothing came close.

But then there were monsters. Creatures on a different scale entirely. They spat at impossibility, roared in the face of logic, destroyed any semblances of reason. Beasts of flesh and muscle able to withstand cannon fire, missile barrages, maser streams. Able to fly through the air at mach 5 or swim through the ground like it was water. Able to breath fire or lightning or acid or nuclear energy, of living stone or sludge or masses of plant and metal and a billion crustaceans. It was as if nature had looked on all of humanities accomplishments, laughed at them, and then made beasts purpose built to mock and destroy them. And then, just to rub it in, made those things the only reason humans could survive.

For a scientist like him, it was both insanity inducing and a way of life. The cruel, uncaring universe indeed.

xxxx

Himura left the room some half an hour later, having wasted all of his thoughts in seclusion and ready to rejoin the world. He stopped by a coffee machine to grab a cup, downed it almost in its entirety, and left the remainder sitting on the counter. He hated the taste of the stuff, but all things considered, he'd much rather have some of that than another giant monster to deal with.

He made his way out into the main intersection, and stopped dead. Standing in one corner, facing the wall, was a mutant soldier. In all likelihood, he was out on patrol. Only, he was just standing there, unmoving, staring at the wall. Himura wasn't an expert in the M-Unit, but he was fairly certain it didn't involve that. He didn't move, unsure if he should just turn around and head back the way he came, or continue the way he was going in the first place and risk disturbing the soldier. He took a single step back, and the soldier turned to look at him with eyes that were just slightly wider than they should have been. He looked at Himura. Himura looked back at him. He kept looking, unblinking. Himura attempted to do the same, failed, and blinked.

And found that the soldier had crossed half the room and still staring at him. He gulped, and took another step back. The soldier didn't move, just kept staring at him. He took another step back, the another. Then he blinked, and the soldier was now less than a meter away, looking down on him slightly due to his taller height. Himura vaguely noted that he didn't remember mutant soldiers being quite that tall. Himura opened his mouth, and let out something like a sigh, unable to actually form words. The soldiers eyes widened slightly more, focusing on him like a hungry animal, then blinked.

The soldier shook his head, looked at Himura with normal eyes, blinked again, looked to either side, muttered something to himself, then turned and walked down a very clear patrol path.

Himura just watched him go, not daring to blink until he'd turned the corner and vanished.


	23. Chapter 22

As ever, I don't own anything you will be reading. No matter how much I might want to.

* * *

Gordon sat in his chair, looking over the footage of Ryo Akamatsu, M-Unit trooper 447. He'd decided to look over at after Musashi Himura had informed him of his strange run-in with a mutant, specifically this one. The footage showed Akamatsu heading along his normal patrol route, appear to see something in the corner, looked at it for a few seconds. Then Himura came in, just staring at the mutant for a few seconds, Akamatsu staring back in confusion. The mutant had walked over to Himura, asked him if he was okay, after which Himura seemed to return to his senses and nod. Receiving an answer and apparently satisfied that Himura was okay, Akamatsu returned to his normal patrol schedule. All of the other footage from the day indicated that things are transpired exactly like that, the entire incident, from investigating the corner to returning to his duties, had taken no more than 40 seconds. On the contrary, footage of Himura showed him having a conversation with Weiss and Eriksson, before spending over an hour sitting in the model room. He'd then wandered around slightly before stumbling upon Akamatsu, after which he'd returned to his room for several minutes before coming to inform Gordon. All evidence pointed Himura, not Akamatsu, acting oddly.

Still, he'd kept watching the footage, and saw Akamatsu go to Ozaki, and ask for a temporary break from active service, for possible health reasons. Looking over things, Akamatsu had had an occasional cough for the last few days, with the med center unable to find so much as a cold or allergy. Considering mutants had much stronger immune systems than normal humans, this was simultaneously not very problematic and very strange, so his break was granted. Considering he'd always been a little paranoid, and had been proven right every single time, Gordon called Ozaki in to talk with him. The mutant commander had just finished looking over the active M-Unit forces, and came in around 20 minutes after Gordon had called for him.

"Ozaki reporting Admiral." The soldier said with a perfect solute.

"At ease, commander. Take a seat." Gordon pointed to the commander's customary chair near his.

Doing so, Ozaki sat straight and looked at Gordon carefully. "So, what is it, sir?"

"I wanted to talk to you about any strange behavior in M-Unit over the past few days."

"This has to do with Akamatsu, correct?"

"That's right. Have any other troopers reported or done anything out of the ordinary?"

"Well, Aoyama Hiyori and Sanada Ryuji have both exhibited the same cough as Akamatsu, but neither have requested leave or strayed at all from their normal duties. Amamoto Tsubaki suffered a light sprain in practice, and will be out for the week. Other than that sir, no, no abnormal activity."

"I see. And what would you make of this mysterious cough, Ozaki?"

"To be perfectly blunt sir, I'm not sure. All tests show whatever it is is completely benign, no signs of any cell degradation, abnormal blood activity, organ function is completely normal, as is brain activity. And yet, we cannot seem to fine exactly what is causing it. It's an utter mystery."

"What would you recommend?"

"Personally sir, I would like to have both Aoyama and Sanada transferred to a sector that will leave them away from any mutants and most normal personnel, at least for the time being. Perhaps something in the storage section, such as container section eleven."

"I see. I'll have them transferred immediately. And Akamatsu?"

"I would request he be kept to his quarters if he wishes to remain off active duty, where he can be easily monitored."

"Understood. I'll approve that. Anything else you wish to report?"

"No sir, that is all."

"Very well. Return to your duties, and inform me if any other mutants develop this cough."

"Sir." Ozaki stood, gave a solute, and headed out of the command center.

Gordon didn't bother watching him go, already back to reviewing those 40 seconds again. Something about it tingled the back of his mind. He _knew_ he was missing something, but he didn't know what. He played it again, staring at that corner and Akamatsu just standing there, looking at nothing. He wasn't sure why, but something about that frozen image made his skin crawl.

xxxx

Himura sat in his little cubicle in the research center, making more changes to the Susanoo. Every tiny change of power and flow either made huge amounts of energy needed, or made it available. At this point, he was working on adding maser turrets for defense, the additional 0.007% available power allowing several dozen of the latest models to be added. He was currently changing the energy loop that allowed the golden bolts their range, increasing how tight the loop was, which would both boost range and narrow the beam to allow greater penetration. Helping humanities ultimate weapon survive in case it was attacked by large numbers of things it could actually kill gave it just that little bit more survival.

The fact that all he could think about was that mutant soldier and the subtle _wrongness_ of him meant that his work was taking longer than it should have. If he wasn't so focused on what he was doing, he was sure he'd have made a tonne of mistakes by now. He ticked another variable off, increased available power by another 0.0012%, put it back into the main firing array, and moved on. He put aside the fact that that tiny increase meant several more kilotons of power added to this thing, and that if the containment singularity failed the earth would probably end up looking like Mimas. He looked back, halved the power increase to the firing array and put it into the singularity generator. Totally unnecessary, but reassuring nonetheless.

He stopped for a minute, looking over half a dozen proposed maser improvements, picked two, labeled another one for possible improvement, and went back to improving the point defenses. They weren't enough, not even close. They needed something better than a maser, something that could really kill kaiju. But they just didn't have anything like that. The closest they could manage were the SM-G mega-buster ray, but that required a very unique setup in the spinal distribution array, something that just didn't work on fortresses. He could increase it into a full blown S-maser, but that would require an entirely new design in order to incorporate it.

He realized he was getting distracted. He'd been doing that far more than was healthy. The stress was starting to get to him. That mutant hadn't helped, but the real problem was the alien monsters. They could teleport, to and from the Earth with no ability to detect or trace them, and as shown from the red monster, Gaonaga if Mara was to be believed, they could heal. If they weren't killed, they'd come back, and that could be anywhere at any time. It was like if the Boogeyman was a 100m tall monster, and there were several of him. For all they knew, there could be dozens, hundreds of these things watching them right now, just waiting for the slightest lapse in guard to appear out of nowhere and destroy them all.

Himura took a deep breath, and noticed by the clock that he had zoned out for about 5 minutes. He would have to go to the infirmary and get some medication. Maybe see if he would be diagnosed with something. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

He went back to working on the main array. The barrel needed to be lengthened by 0.09%. That was crucial.

xxxx

Ryo Akamatsu sat in his room, facing the far wall. It was a nice wall, very firm and well made. It disgusted him, worms piling dirt to keep safe from eagles. No, not eagles, eagles had feathers. He didn't have any feathers. It _was_ a nice wall though. He wasn't sure why he was sitting there, staring at it, but there were worse things to be doing. Like whatever he'd been doing before he'd started looking at the wall. His right arm twitched, it knew what he was thinking, at it wouldn't let him to that to it.

He blinked, looked down, then up, then down, then up, then why was he doing that? His neck hurt. He didn't remember why, but it didn't feel like his neck. It felt longer. Or maybe shorter no definitely longer. He looked over at the pile of bones that wasn't a pile, he'd made sure to stack them all perfectly, by size and position and how long it had taken to clean them. That one had taken the longest, it was a thick bone, he didn't know the name, he didn't know the names of bones only that they crunched under his feet and got covered in blood and meat to be picked clean by the carrion that followed him like the parasites they were. He picked one up with his right hand, felt it, pushed it about, squeezed it a little, set it back down.

He looked back from where he was standing in the corner. He didn't like this corner, it kept staring back at him, that tiny little seem just kept getting wider and wider, trying to swallow him up. It wasn't straight enough, the atoms and molecules and kishtram were all out of alignment. He hated that. He looked up at the clock that was always wrong, noticed he'd been standing for at least 2 hours. He really should sit back down. He didn't like sitting, or standing. He didn't like the ground, but he still had legs, so he would have to bear with it.

He looked at his left shoulder, the flesh nice and clean where he'd pealed away the flesh and meat and bone. It was a nice stump, so much less ugly than the hideous limb that had been there. He was starting to get hungry again. His right arm twitched. It would probably try and strangle him like the left one had, but it had its chance. It should have joined the left one in its efforts, they might have been enough. He felt his skin itch, something moving underneath. Not time yet, not yet, but soon. The shifting quieted.

He felt the bones grow, the flesh and meat growing to replace that stupid arm, so much better and stronger and _oh god no no no make it stop make it stop please someone no no nonononono_ he didn't like that wall corner.

It kept staring at him.

xxxx

Mara sat on top of the JSDF building, about 4 stories off the ground, facing the damaged city. She'd been sitting there for about 38 hours now, attempting to use her senses to reveal what was happening. Godzilla had wandered off into the ocean to feed, and without his calming spirit she'd been growing more and more anxious. Whatever was happening to the flows of the world was rushing towards them faster than they could react. Her abilities would be needed, but she was beginning to question how. She wasn't strong enough to face multiple creatures of the caliber that had appeared so far, and her senses were not fine enough to discern whatever scheme their master was planning.

More than that though, she felt something dark, darker than anything that had yet come. Whatever it was was already here, at least in part, working its tendrils into their weakpoints, exploiting them, watching them, waiting to bring down their walls at a whim and flood them with death. Even now she could feel it watching them, watching her, like eyes in every shadow at her back. All her senses told her to run, her instincts screaming at her to escape before she was cornered and devoured.

Everything was coming far faster than she had anticipated, and she wasn't sure if she could help enough escape before the flood came and destroyed all they had known. She could sense its presence, and now she was sure of what was come. The scent in the air and the feel of the wind was heavy, choked with blood not yet spilled, and a furious pride that even the gods would quail under.

She saw the glow through her closed lids, and opened her eyes.

xxxx

Ozaki was sitting in his office in the mutant division, going over footage and readouts from the last week, trying desperately to find whatever it was that was affecting his troops. He'd felt ill that morning, and had started coughing 2 hours later, not the soft one of Akamatsu and others, but a violent hack that had made him immediately quarantine himself. Locking himself in his office, he'd started pouring over every scrap of information that could possibly explain the sudden malady. Weather changes, visitors to the area, samples recovered, energy readings, every speck of dirt that had entered the JSDF compound was analyzed and studied to the best of the equipment he had available.

He been doing this for 5 hours, and hadn't found anything that could explain any of it. There was literally nothing, no abnormalities at all, not in the air, not in the psychic fields of some of the mutants, not in his own kaiser power, nothing for kilometers that could possibly explain the unexplainable disease that seemed to have no cause whatsoever. Even studies of blood samples and brainwaves from the now 7 affected mutants showed any difference, nothing in the skin cells or hair follicles or muscle tissue.

Nothing.

It was as if the gods themselves had blighted them as abominations, cast a plague on them with no means of fighting it. Maybe he should get that Padma woman to look at them, perhaps her magical dragon abilities would have some explanation. She certainly wasn't the cause of it, as she'd been very helpful 2 days before, offering everything from blood samples to her clothing and an analysis of her lotus amulet that was somehow buried in her chest and wrapped around her heart that allowed her to transform into her draconic self. Nothing, and none of the mutants exposed to her during the investigation had contracted the cough.

He stopped, eyes widening as the thought took hold. He should have thought of it before, but it had been dismissed because of just how far away it had happened. He immediately switched over to the file of the latest attack, looking at readouts from the moment of the two monsters appearance. He found something almost instantly.

The two monsters had appeared in a large dual-sphere directly next to each other, the mysterious teleportation still unreadable and untraceable. In that appearance, the moment the two spheres popped and unleashed their occupants, there was a thin golden field of light that vanished almost immediately. It may have been a refraction of the air, or some other atmospheric disturbance from the alien energies, bit he'd been almost right next to the red beast when it had vanished, the images burned into his mind. To be sure, he forwarded the footage to the moment they vanished. The orbs came, enveloped them, and vanished like a complete reverse of how they'd come. Only, there was no golden field. He took a moment to go over the footage from the first time the three monsters had vanished, just to be sure.

No gold.

He returned to the moment they burst, the image frozen one a nearly solid sphere of gold, the cyborg monster inside just barely visible within. He set every scanner they had active to that single instant, looking over every reading. No abnormal energy, no effect on the monster itself, nothing more than air for all appearances. Thinking about any possible difference, he realized that if it was what he thought it was, that meant it had to fit one criteria. He changed over to the biological sensors.

The screen lit up with subtle readings, a tiny biofield visible over the massive one of the cyborg. There was no measurable mass, which meant the entire field had to have less than a kilogram of mass. He changed to the next frame, watched it disperse in every direction. By the 3rd frame, it was completely gone. He looked over all of the other readings, any possible sign of where it had gone. Nothing. There was no way of knowing what it had been, the single frame of it in full being unreadable in how quick it had been. There was no real proof to be found.

He loaded that image and the relevant readings onto his personal drive, stood up, hacked violently, and headed for the door. Gordon needed to see this. His door opened, and he came face to face with Ryo Akamatsu, Aoyama Hiyori, and Sanada Ryuji. He glanced at all three of them, noticing the small increase in height, the slight paleness of their skin, the slight change in eye colour. He stood straight, his stance changing just enough to give him an advantage.

"Akamatsu." Ozaki said, his face perfectly calm. "I thought you were quarantined in your room?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but orders have changed." The man said, his voice noticeably pained."

"Are you alright, son?" Ozaki asked, brow furrowing in obvious worry. Akamatsu was one of his best men, and something of a friend of his.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you're just too smart for our own good." Akamatsu said, looking down at the ground in obvious shame.

Ozaki didn't know what to think, but he knew what he would have to do. He shifted his stance just a bit more, locking into a defensive position that would allow him to tear through all three of them in as many seconds. "Stand aside, son, I'm going to get you help."

"I'm sorry, sir, but it's too late for us. We're sorry we need to kill you, but it's not worth the crying that would come from mourning an insignificant worm like you pathetic flesh sacks have caused me _enough trouble!_" Akamatsu droned emotionlessly until the last moment, his eyes turning blood red.

Ozaki stepped back, bringing his leg up in a kick that sent Akamatsu crashing into the far wall, his chest caved in with a broken ribcage. Ozaki stepped forward, slicing with an exacting chop to the necks of Hiyori and Ryuji, his iron-hard fingers slicing through their necks like a sword, nearly decapitating both in a single swipe. He continued to walk, internally cursing whatever had caused this. He was 6 steps out from his door when the compound shook, and he was forced to duck and dash away from the blade that had been aimed at his neck. He turned, dropping into a defensive stance as he watched the three rise, blood still oozing from their wounds. Akamatsu's arms bent back in their shoulders to push him out of the wall, bulging hideously with the sound of tearing flesh. The three grew larger, flesh ripping and bones snapping, one of Ryuji's arms simply falling off as a much larger one burst from the shoulder. Akamatsu stepped in front, his mouth extending outward half a foot, massive fangs bursting into place in his mouth.

"I'm sorry, sir, but your world is going to die screaming, painted in you mortal's blood."

xxxx

Mara leaped back, avoiding the golden claws that came down on the roof she had just been on. She slammed a palm into her chest, shouting "Transform!" as she changed into the DragonLotus. The massive hand of Gaonaga closed around her throat as she fully changed, gripping down hard and lifting her into the air. She scratched at the arm holding her, looking into the green eyes and the wicked grin the saurian was giving her.

"Apologies for this madam." He said with what seemed like genuine sympathy. "I would much rather fight you, but I'm afraid the master wants to have a word. I'm sorry to say that you'll be missing the destruction of your world. Maybe, if you're still alive, you'll get to see what remains."

Pulling her in close, Gaonaga looked up into the sky and roared, shattering the reinforced glass on the compound. Even as she tried to kick free, Mara felt the white sphere forming around her. Remembering what happened to things at the edge of the sphere, she had no choice but to pull herself tight against her captor or risk losing something. She closed her eyes and growled as she was taken.

xxxx

Himura was walking through the hall when the entire compound shook. The alarms started blaring, and a horribly familiar roar sounded from somewhere very close by before the emergency lockdown procedure began closing down hallways and sliding plates over the shattered windows. He knew what was happening, and ran down the hall, watching openings slam shut with half a meter of reinforced S-Steel. He rushed deep into the depths of the compound, knowing it was the safest place from the attacking monster.

He turned down the hall, and found himself facing a long, dark corridor that was painted with the blood of the several mangled corpses that littered the ground and were jammed into the armoured walls and ceiling. At the far end stood a massive inhuman _thing_, hunched over and eating one of the corpses. He caught sight of a long twisting tail and bloody spikes coming from its back, the large, thick claws carving through flesh and bone like they were rice paper. As the emergency barrier moved into place, it swerved its head to look at him, freezing his blood in his veins with pure, utter terror. He saw blood-red eyes and long fangs set in a blood grin before the barrier slammed into place.

xxxx

Gordon slowly reached for his walking cane when he heard something like tearing flesh from behind him. He gripped the handle, dug his feet in, and turned as he heard it leap, drawing the sword and his pistol from within his coat. He spun the chair with his planted feet, bringing the sword in a shard slash into the chest of the thing that came at him, stopping its jaws inches from his face. He roared as he pushed it back and away, his sword sliding over its armoured scales and not even drawing blood, the thing seeming to grin at him. The maser pistol rose in his hand, drawing a line of 9 shots in 2 seconds along its chest, knocking it further back and burning smoking dots in its chest. It grinned again, took a step forward, and took a maser rifle blast from one of Gordon's mutant soldiers, blowing open its neck.

"Shoot the bastard!" Gordon roared, rising up and firing shots at its head.

The men in the command center immediately fired up the compounds defenses, which included a rather large gatling-maser installed in the ceiling. The barrels spun, the golden blasts fired, and the anti-kaiju weapon turned the attacking thing into mulch. Two more seemed to just burst from the crowd, a golden bolt nearly searing Gordon's head off as it fired, but the gathered mutants quickly gunned them down, two of them being torn apart by the swift claws and gnashing fangs. As they lay dying, Gordon walked over to each and slammed his sword through their eyes, making damn sure they were dead. He knew how lucky he was to have been surrounded by so many guns, otherwise he would have been a dead man sitting. His eyes widened as he realized what that meant.

"Red alert! I want all cameras scanning the base! Get us under lockdown, find everyone who's alive out their and get them to safety! And trap any of those things that are out there asap!"

He looked down at the corpse of the beast, noticing the very obvious tatters handing off of it.

"And tell all mutant soldiers to watch out for their own. We've either got infiltrators, or much worse."

The sudden new wave of alarms hit him like a train, and he turned to see the world map light up like it was Christmas. Dozens of signals were lighting up all over the planet, 3 dozen, 4 dozen, more. And then something 500 kilometers in diameter popped up right next to the moon, followed by several hundred smaller shapes, all hundreds or thousands of meters long. And then what looked like a solid cloud of signals was released from those shapes, tens of thousands of what could only be fighters swarming out like someone had kick over the ant pile. Gordon mentally swore in every language he knew.

"Aw, fuck me."

xxxx

Godzilla was skimming the ocean floor for some especially large mutant fish when his warning sense exploded like he'd never felt before. His head was practically burning, and his father was in a panic. He rose from the water so fast he was midair before he saw what looked like a storm cloud descending from next to the moon. He could sense the psychic signals, more than anything he'd ever felt, and then felt the much larger ones all over the planet. He was torn in every direction, the entire world needing him. Gritting his teeth as he fell into the water, he made full speed to the shore. He would start where he was.

He just hoped the rest of the world could hold on long enough.

xxxx

The white light faded, and the grip on her neck vanished. She fell to the ground and rolled into a fighting stance, facing Gaonaga. He just looked at her, and motioned to his left. She glanced, and was met with the Heart Eater, looking at her hungrily. The cyborg chuckled at her.

"Welcome, little drake. Soon I shall feast upon your heart."

She was about to counter, when a new voice sounded from just behind Heart Eater, a calm, almost soft one that would have been soothing and seductive if it wasn't so utterly terrifying. She stood up, now looking past the Eater, and she felt her blood run cold.

_No, of all my worst nightmares..._

There, looking out of a great round window that showed the earth, the moon, and a fleet of thousands of ships, stood the one form she knew she could not face. A living nightmare, from the darkest pits of the void, the very beast that the world below feared above all others. Silver scales shown like shining mail, a split tail swished behind it like a coiled snake, two great folded wings hung at its sides, shimmering and glorious. And above the massive body like a living castle of immaculate scales, stood three great heads like rivers of starlight, crowned by three draconic heads that gazed outwards like gods.

Ghidorah turned all three heads to look at her, 6 blood-red eyes gazing at her calmly. "So, this is the one with the trinket? A good form. I look forward to seeing what we can make of you. Take her to the depths, and see about removing that toy from her."

Heart Eater nodded, and walked past, gripping her by the arm as Gaonaga grabbed the other. She began to struggle, reading to unleash a blast of fire, when she was forcibly turned, and she felt her heart stop. Dozens, hundreds, perhaps even thousands of red eyes looked up at her from a great chasm of stone and metal. Hundreds of heads swayed like a sea of grass before her. Of gold, and brown, and green and silver and black, like a great, living armoury of shining metal. Or a sea of living swords and snakes ready to devour her. The cackling was like a roaring fire, the laughs shaking her very bones.

She watched the hundreds of Ghidorah's gaze at her, eyes like pits of blood locked on her now tiny-feeling form, and she could do nothing but scream.

* * *

KnightGunAnime: Glad you're enjoying this so much. Just about getting into the final bits, which will definitely be the most impressive out of everything. So here's hoping it keeps up with expectations.


	24. Chapter 23

I own nothing of this. Godzilla and all related properties are owned by **Toho Co., Ltd. **Kaiju Combat is owned by Sunstone Games. Everything else is owned by its respective companies.

* * *

Ghidorah stood before the window, watching It's fleet fall upon the world below. The first wave was launched, and would serve to clear out the majority of the humans defenses. They had been instructed to only disable, not destroy, as many of the weapons as possible. For how worthless and weak humans themselves were, they had gathered enough technology over the years to create some decent equipment, which would serve once It was gathered up and turned to It's use. Perhaps it would even save a few of the miserable beasts, keeping them as servants along with the countless mortal races that It had bent to It's will over the eons.

It watched the clouds of fighters and smaller war vessels descending, carrying with them tens of thousands of soldiers. They would all be massacred no doubt, but they would serve their purpose well enough. And after all, what greater honor was there but to die for Ghidorah? No doubt they would praise It with their last breaths, like all who worshiped It did. It considered Itself truly magnanimous, to allow such short-lived worms a small chance to bask in It's glory and die in It's name.

_Still, I do not want this taking too long. Judgement has taken far too long for this world. All warriors, launch, consume this world._

It's psychic command reverberated about the ship, and all the slave-beasts that served as troops in It's vast armies began to vanish in orbs of pure light. Some 600 of them, all told, though perhaps a tenth of that number would actually accomplish anything. It would be nice to have them gone, burnt to ashes in It's name. Their flesh was not worth consumption.

xxxx

The kaiju came, one by one, or in packs of dozens, all over the world. Satellite tracking networks nearly overloaded from the sheer number of monsters, unable to keep up as any defensive satellites were forced to engage the coming swarm of ships from the Moon's orbit. Ion cannons and maser destroyers unleashed brilliant streams into the craft, tens of thousands of missiles sent a reverse-hailstorm upon them, rail and coil guns sent silver streaks of superheated metal blazing at mach 40 into the silver fighters and larger carriers. The massive laser defenses sent tremendous red beams thundering into the aliens like the wrath of a hundred gods. Enough firepower to light up the night sky for a thousand miles struck with all the fury of humanity built up over the past 80 years.

The alien vessels powered through with ease, not 5% casualties before they began the counterattack.

xxxx

In Ireland, a pack of 5 kaiju appeared in a circle in the Dublin countryside, a wolflike thing with 6 arms, a reptilian beast with 5 heads, a floating chunk of rock covered in eyes, a living mass of wind filled with devouring worms, and a metallic thing that looked like a mosquito mixed with a crab. The screeched and roared and let loose a cacophony of sounds that chilled the soul and dashed the spirit. They formed together in a loose formation, the rock floating above with the machine skittering atop it, and they advanced towards the city.

They were promptly met with enough high-explosives to melt break a mountain as the Irish Military unleashed its welcome. A wave of 30m tall metal knights charged out at the monsters, swinging chainsaw-claymores and firing automatic artillery cannons slung under their arms. They smashed into the beast and tore into them, the kaiju countering viciously. The wolf-thing picked them up in its claws, tossing them about and unleashing streams of acid from its mouth with met with green energy shield raised from the knights left arms. The reptile extended its necks like striking serpents, sonic blasts erupting from its mouths and cracking the glass and fragile metals aboard the knights. When a knight hacked off two of the heads, 4 new ones sprouted in their place. Consecutive slashes were followed by flamethrowers to the stumps, which served well until the beast began tearing off the cauterized stumps itself. The rock floated high above, raining down blue beams from its eyes with a rumbling laugh, before a massive form crashed into it and took it to the ground. As it rose, it came 100 eyes to face with a 80m knight armed with a crackling mace. The knight roared loud as it charged, the pilot firing up the flamethrowers in its shoulders.

The wind soared about them, picking up the smaller knights and tossing them about, crushing them together or throwing them at the insect to be torn apart by stabbing limbs like a storm of needles. The two roared together, charging in towards the city. Just as they crossed a line of stones, the entire thing rose up, dwarfing both combined. The mass of living earth towered above them, like a great humanoid ankylosaur with great stone shields on each arm, and a chuck of countryside on its back and head. Stones fired from its back, smashing into the insect and flying into the wind beast, before they both exploded in a showed of rock and dirt. The two creatures fell back, and the mass of earth known as the guardian beast Tursacra roared a challenge like a rumbling earthquake, and trudged forward to meet those that would invade his home.

xxxx

Lucius Montague was annoyed. He was a member of the elite anti-kaiju force Juggernaut, one of 45 individuals qualified to pilot one of the 12 Praetor machines that were America's top-of-the-line war machines against the monster menace. He had hopped to pilot the AGM66 Goliath, or maybe the TGS808 Behemoth. But no, he had to get stuck with the goddamn BSWA231 Mecha-Baz. The weapon of a washed-up wrestler from the 90's who, God knows how, was an expert in economics and managed to become one of the wealthiest business owners in the US. When the new string of anti-kaiju weapons was being developed, he'd payed in its entirety for one of the machines. In return, he'd asked only one thing; that it look like him. And now, Lucius was here, piloting it in defense of the earth, facing off against a giant minotaur.

His mind almost shut down, rebooting, as he processed how utterly ridiculous that was. That lapse almost got the MB's face caved in by the beasts amoured fist, and he was forced to dodge back, kick it in the chin to get it away, and then clothesline it. As it went sailing back, it vanished in a purple burst of light, and reappeared several hundreds meters away to charge at him again. Make that a _teleporting_ giant minotaur. He was in a 100 meter mechanical wrestle-mech fighting a teleporting giant minotaur in the middle of Las Vegas. He ducked low, dodging the laser blasts from its eyes, before choke-slamming it into the ground. As it teleported away again, he couldn't help but wonder what ancient force he'd pissed off in a past life that had made him have to suffer through this. If it weren't for the fact that his life and that of several million people were in danger, he'd be wondering if winning was worth the humiliation of having to pilot this thing.

Eye twitching dangerously, he charged directly at the minotaur, picked it up, spun it over his head, and unleashed a tornado of lighting that fried its hair and made it howl in pain, entire lightning clouds forming around him. Somewhere in the cockpit, a gruff voice called out with immense enthusiasm, "It's the Eye of the Storm! He's not coming back from that one Jim!" Lucius resisted the urge to kick everything around him, and instead tombstone piledrived the beast into the asphalt. He stomped on its chest, and the cockpit started the 3 count. Then, what looked like a werewolf with a bone knife charged at him, and he was forced to backflip away. He slammed the MB's fists together, electricity forming, and then charged at the new beast with a Flying Jet Kick, as the cockpit voice told him.

If he survived this, he was going to retire somewhere in Florida. Maybe work on a fishing boat, or in a retirement home.

xxxx

In the cold of Alaska, a group of draconic and crystalline creatures appeared across the countryside, 9 beasts in packs of 3 making towards the sparse gatherings of humans, intent on clearing out these pockets of humanity before turning east and south to invade Canada. They made their way through the cold, to Juneau and Anchorage, and the immense military base Fortitude that sat comfortably in the middle of the desert of snow. The kaiju came in 3 directions, and in 3 places were they met with opposition.

12 kilometers from Juneau, a snakelike cyborg with 40 legs, a wyvern thing with 4 wings and no eyes, and a roiling mass of crystal shards in the shape of a catlike creature with too large a jaw and too long a neck were stopped when the ground in front of them exploded. From it emerged a huge tortoise beast, the armored monster grumbling a roar at them. The snake thing hissed and spat a bolt of lightning into its shell, a threat for it to leave. Instead, the creature charged forward faster than seemed possible, and bodyslammed the serpent a hundred meters away, before turning on the other two. The beasts attacked, fire and shards of crystal impacting the shell. A wing of fighters flew overhead, maser batteries unloading on the aliens. Following them came a fortress vessel, the great Balto unleashing a freezing burst from its AZ cannon onto the wyvern. The creature howled and took to the air, and the two titans of the sky engaged each other. The crystal beast turned to attack the fighters, launching a storm of shards at them. The tortoise charged it, only to be smashed aside as the snakepede slammed into it, coiling about the shell and scratching with hundreds of claws. The reptile smacked a coil with its armoured head, gripped it in its jaws and tossed it aside. The snakepede recovered, and hissed a crackling noise at the mutant creature, before both charged forward.

To the north, far in the Alaskan wilderness, a floating mass of tentacles and thorns, a raging mass like a furred crocodile with a tri-part mouth, and a crystalline mass with two trunklike legs, pincers of red crystal, a giant curved spike for a head, and a spinning orb in its center like a burnt-out star, all made their way towards base Fortitude, the gathered airforce already deploying wings of fighters and the 2nd and 3rd fortress vessel, Jenna and Aniu. The mass of tendrils flew into the air, lashing out at the fighters and grabbing at them, crushing those it caught in its horrific grasp. The Jenna engaged it with a powerful silver maser blast that seared away a portion of the tendrils, revealing a horrid mass of teeth and eyes within, before the tendrils regenerated and sought to grasp at the fortress. Like some nightmarish rendition of the Nautilus' struggles, the creature grappled with the ship, the silver streams from the maser turrets blasting into the monsters hide.  
Nearby, the Aniu fired its AZ cannon at the crocodile thing, the fur hardening into an iron shield as the blast washed over it. As the stream of absolute zero faded, the fur shook and struck in every direction, shattering the icy buildup. The monster seemed to chuckle to itself, its throat growing larger with each deep-throated grunt. Then its mouth split open, and a massive sonic blast shattered the air and shook the Aniu out of the air, metal grinding and groaning from the force. The fortress countered with a rain of spiral missiles, the projectiles slammed into the beast, forcing it to harder its fur and stop its assault. The beast growled as it unfolded again, and twin beams of heat shot from its eyes to score the side of the fortress.  
The crystal beast ignored all this, along with the fighters pelting it, and trudged towards the military base with the sole intention of destroying everything in its path. Red light shot from the spinning orb in its chest and met with the silver shield around the base. The beam didn't end, simply focusing on the shield, slowly growing brighter, until the silver energy began to flicker. Just as it failed, a huge gust of wind took the crystal kaiju head on and dropped it to the ground. As it floated back up, the snow and frost seemed to coalesce into a single form, that of a great white bear with blue runes marking its fur. The great bear roared, ice forming packs of armour on its back and chest, and a solid mass on its left arm like a shield. It raised its right claw, ice forming into 5 huge claws, and charged forward, a cone of cold wind firing from its mouth.

At Anchorage, the people were evacuating into shelters deep in the earth, the cities shield flaring to life to provide a temporary defense. From the north came a beast like a living gold statue with machinery covering it like a suit of armour, a scragling ratlike thing covered in chains and shackles, its mouth muzzled and dripping purple liquid, and a spider kaiju with legs ending in humanoid hands with 7 fingers, mouths visible and screaming on the palms when it raised its legs. The came unopposed, the military already engaged at the other two locations, or having been sent south to aid the attacks along the American west coast. The creatures came over the mountain range, cackling and howling to drive fear into the people. They slide down the ice, leapt at the shield, and were pushed back with a pulse of white. They howled and attacked, the spider thing planting its hands on the shield, the mouth literally _eating_ away at the barrier. They attacked, again and again, the rat thing simply smashing insanely again the shield despite the pulses blasting it back each time. Slowly, inevitably, the shield failed, and the beasts charged into the city.

And were blasted back out by streams of fire. They landed, scorched and angry, and recovered to see something on the edge of the city, bordering the mountain-line. A growling roar came from the large muzzle filled with pointed teeth and roiling blue flames, the leathery head swaying slightly as it hissed at them. The huge tail swished behind it, deadly powerful like a massive whip, and tight lining of scales invisible in the tough brown hide. The beast reared back, standing angled on its powerful hind legs and balancing tail, hissing louder at them, daring them to come face it. From its side, another came on all fours, roaring at them, blue flames licking its mouth. The twin reptiles roared loud, and the three kaiju charged to meet them, the air splitting with their cries.

xxxx

As Godzilla pulled himself off the torn remains of the squidlike alien he had just torn to pieces, a long forgotten roar filled his mind from thousands of miles away. He stopped, looking up in the air in shock, and couldn't help but give a snort in amused satisfaction, the closest thing he had to a joyous smile. He roared long and loud to the heavens, willing her to hear him far away. Then he turned to face the 14 kaiju gathered before him, all roaring and howling and eager for his blood, to tear him limb from limb. He was all alone, the humans engaged in their cities and trying to save their people; he would get no help. It was he alone against all these beasts who had no doubt faced a hundred worlds and torn them apart, beasts from the deep stars come to take this world.

He couldn't help but mentally smirk. Not an even fight, but he hoped they would last long enough to make this fun.

xxxx

imura ran as fast as he could, trying to make his way towards the command center. He didn't have a chance out here on his own. He knew Gordon would be alive and in control, he had to be. You didn't just kill someone like Douglas Gordon. Not even Godzilla had managed that, and if the King of the Monsters couldn't, no way some freakish humanoid mutation could hope to. The compound shook, and Himura was sure he heard something roar from far outside. Or maybe it was an explosion? He really didn't want to think about what was happening. If it was this bad in here, gods know what was going on everywhere else.

He stopped just before a corner, hearing something crunch wetly on the other side. He slowly peaked around the corner, and immediately ducked back behind it, and probably would have vomited if he wasn't so scared of being heard. He really didn't want to think who that had been, but he would have no way of telling from how they looked now. He heard another crunch, felt his eyes tearing in terror and sadness for whoever that was, took a deep breath, and slowly crept past the relatively short distance from wall to wall. He didn't look, didn't breath, just focused on the continued crunching that told him it didn't see him. It stopped for a moment, and he almost froze, but he knew stopping would just make him more likely to die. Another few steps, and the sounds started again, a loud crack ringing the moment he'd stepped beyond the safety of the wall. He almost stumbled, eyes blurry, and took off down the hall as fast as he could without making a sound.

He ran as fast as he could, panting and sweating, trying to focus on just getting to the command center as fast as he could. He rounded a corner, and took several steps before he heard something behind him. He stopped, holding his breath as he did, and turned. Standing in the hallway around the opposite corner, hunched over slightly just to fit, was a humanoid thing, staring right at him with blood-red eyes. Himura took a step back, breath coming in stutters, and the thing took a step towards him.

It was huge, easily 9 or 10 feet tall, thought it was hard to tell the way it was bent over. Its inhumanly thick legs bent back where the hell should be, extending like a raptor's. Its arms were almost too thin, only as thick as a humans despite being easily half-again as long. Its upper body was too wide, like it had more organs that a creature should have. Its long tail swayed behind it, parted at the last fifth that ended in two groups of long spikes. Its mouth was long but blunt like a mastiff, and 3 horns curved back in a deadly crown. But worst of all was the scales. The pure, elegant, immaculate golden scales that were smeared with blood along the mouth and hands. The red eyes glowed in the dark of the corridor, and it grinned at him in a way that skin wasn't supposed to stretch.

"Welcome human, to the extinction of your race."

xxxx

Samuel Rodrigues pulled back, barely avoiding the humming green blade that nearly took the head, and cockpit, off the jaeger he was piloting. The damn thing was good with a blade, despite looking like a giant fish-thing and not actually having a blade in the traditional sense. As expected, the weird laser sword just destroyed anything that it hit, as shown by the heat-daggers he'd tossed at it to see if it was safe to use his katana. Turned out, no, it was not, as the still melting pools of metal showed.

"What kind of bastard swordfights with a sword you can't fight!?" He groaned out, stepping to the side to avoid a humming stab from the deceptively long saber.

When Brazil joined in on the great jaeger offensive, they didn't have enough resources for a multiple pilot system, the mental link simply too costly. With only a single pilot system and a relatively small jaeger at that, they had to substitute technology with skill. They'd searched long and hard, scouring for anyone who could put up with the strain and had the skill necessary to turn it into an effective weapon. And then Sam had walked in the front door, given a short demonstration, tested out the equipment, and within the hour was sitting in the cockpit of the newly named _Stinger Minuano_ had been deemed ready to join the attack. With his skill, they'd managed to equip it with a relatively low-cost, but highly effective, heat-blade, which proved perfect for carving up kaiju. In the short 3 months in between its deployment and operation Pacific Rim, the _Stinger Minuano_ had scored 7 kills, suffering only a single destroyed arm during the final operation, and that was because he'd been hauling the American Godzilla to safety. Repaying a childhood dept. After the operation, he'd personally been thanked by Doctor Tatopoulus, who had made a personal, and sizable, donation to getting the _Minuano_ back in fighting condition, top of the line and better than ever. Along with a AI personally constructed for him by Dr. Mendel Craven and Randal Hernandez which served as an effective secondary pilot for the purposes of jaeger control, the newly christened _Jetstream Shadow_ became a living legend in Brazil, though relatively unknown to the rest of the world. And now, here he was, standing alone as Brazil's only defender as the rest of the world went to hell. He dodged another swift swing, ducked another, and jumped away with a dagger thrown to keep the thing attacking him at bay.

"Warning: enemy weapon is contained plasma, highly lethal. HF blade frequency being tuned to allow effective parrying."

"Thanks, Wofly." Sam said with a grin, his red blade locking satisfyingly with the green of his enemy's.

Sam was eternally grateful for the IF LQ84I that served as his copilot and friend, as much as an artificial intelligence based off a dog(for loyalty) made for killing giant monsters could be one. The Interface Living Quantum-Intelligence 84(th) Iteration, which, because it specialized in making quick and deadly use of the backup heat-knives, Sam had affectionately named Bladewolf. Some people found his eccentricity in naming his AI a bit much. Those people were not piloting an 80m tall, katana wielding machine for the defense of humanity against a giant amphibious alien with a laser sword, so in Sam's professional opinion, they could all shut the hell up.

Of all the monsters who had to face him, of course he would be one of the most ridiculous of all of them(he thought, he wasn't actually all that up-to-date on the rest of the world at the moment). The monster had popped in right over the bay, crashing into the water before anyone could see it. It had swam around for a bit, somehow capsizing vessels hundreds of meters apart or tossing them into the air. By the time it had come onto dry land, Sam had arrived and was waiting for it. He had stayed in position, just in case it had some sort of ability that he couldn't counter up close. He had not been expecting it to extend its hand at him, pick him up with its _mind_, and toss him like a ragdoll. If it hadn't been for Bladewolf auto-correcting his balance and engaging the grippers to counter its power, he'd still be getting tossed through the sky, or else impaled on that things sword. When he'd recovered from the mind-hand-thing, he'd charged in, sure he would best deal with it fast with a sword through the gut. _Then_, it had held up its right hand, and instead of trying to pick him up again had pulled a silver cylinder from its belt (the damn thing was wearing _robes_), and turned it on, activating a green blade that must have been 50m long. Then it had taken up a sideways stance with the blade extended at him, and had rushed in _much_ faster than should have been possible. If Sam wasn't, well, Sam, he'd have been dead in the first move.

He parried another slash, moving in to try and disembowel the thing with the slight shock that came from having its blade pushed aside its apparently unblockable blade. Instead, it turned the blade in its grip and blocked his stab with a reverse hold. Immediately, he was on the defensive, the green blade spinning in tight arcs over and over as it advanced towards him, the fish-thing more skilled with a blade than most humans he knew. The style was odd, overly stylish, and no doubt useless with any solid sword, but damn if he couldn't get a hit in. Every time he tried making a slash, he countered him like it knew where his blade was going to be before he did. If he'd been on foot, he could have used some of his more impressive moves, but for all the technology that made his jaeger move like a ballerina, it just couldn't pull off his serious techniques.

He sped up his swings slightly, going on the offensive with his own tight swings to counter, reading its moves as he went. Every style had a weakness that could be exploited, you just had to find it. As he countered a frighteningly fast slash, he felt the slight impact through the machines arms, and he knew what that weakness was. The blade wasn't solid, which made it incredibly light, and as such, incredibly easy to use with minimal strength, allowing a focus on speed. With no real counter aside from maybe a similar light blade, it meant the wielder didn't have to worry about the weight of the weapon, only the strength. That was its greatest advantage, and as such, its greatest flaw.

He grinned, and flipped a switch with his mind. "Wolfy, divert power from sensors and unnecessary systems and give me as much attack strength as you can!"

"Acknowledged." The emotionless machine voice droned.

He felt the machine get heavier, more power put into his swings, and locked eyes with the beast. His grin split his face as he put all his might into the next swing. With a solid blade weighing several thousand tonnes vs a weightless blade with all the mass in the handle, his cut slammed into the green energy, pushed into the plasma, field against field, and pushed it back. He saw the creatures eyes widen, its stance broken slightly as it tried to recover. He struck again, the lighter blade being knocked away, and fell into a series of increasingly fast circling slashes. The monster held the blade before it, trying to focus purely on defense, but it just didn't have the strength to match the machine that was literally built for this. With a final swing, the green blade was knocked to the side, and the creature let out a stunned low screech. Continuing the arc of his swing, Sam brought the sword back in a tight curve, and sheathed it.

The magnetic accelerator in his sheath allowed him to draw the sword at just over hypersonic speeds. The strain it put on the jaeger meant he couldn't use it as much as he liked to, but for a finishing move, there was nothing quite so sweet. His mind gripped the sheath, fingers tightening on the swords handle, and he almost felt the machines fingers press the trigger. His sword shot out with a keening crack of the sound barrier exploding, a red streak drawn behind the crackling blade. It swung up faster than the beast could follow, and carved a line from hip to shoulder, red blood spraying in slow motion like a second drawn blade. Sam realized that the blade wasn't biting quite as deep as it should have, noticed the monster was getting further away, and noticed its left hand at its side, open-palmed, and realized the bastard had pushed him away at the last instant.

He went sailing through the air, flipping over in midair and sheathing his sword, landing perfectly on top of a building with enough poise to not even shake the foundation. He looked to see the creature pressing its hand to its chest, its brown robes cut cleanly, and it stared up at him with what he could have sworn was a grin. It breathed deep, closed its eyes, and seemed to focus, the green blade floating up before it. Its eyes flashed open, the green blade hummed, and the wound was cauterized with perfect accuracy.

"Well, well, well, look at you. You're pretty good." Sam said, letting the speakers carry his message to the beast.

It nodded at him, gripped the blade in its right hand, and activated a _second_ blade from the other end of the handle. Sam couldn't help but laugh. He took his strongest stance, draw his blade, and held it before him, pointing at the monster.

"Okay, let's dance!"

xxxxx

Ozaki punched, smashing the creature's chest in and breaking its back on the floor, spraying blood across the floor and lower walls. He raised his fist, coated in blood, and gazed down the hall, swarming with dozens of the golden monsters. No matter which way they twisted and turned, no matter how many blocked the others from view, every pair of eyes was locked on his. He felt one come behind him, ducked low, and brought his foot up in a rising kick. It slammed into the ceiling, skidded along it from the sheer force of the blow, then collapsed to the ground. It then picked itself up despite the clearly broken spine and ribcage, and attacked him again. He swept to the side and hammed it in the neck, smashing it hard enough to punch right through. The beast let out a warped cry that came out as a rush of wind through its punctured neck, and fell over dead. That was 19. How many more were left?

"As expected, you are strong as ever, Kaiser."

Ozaki spun around, to see one of the creatures clinging to the ceiling sitting upside down, not attacking.

"You have done well, though that was known. Your kind are ever immune to our methods."

"You, you're Ghidorah." Ozaki spoke, not changing his stance.

"We are. And you are Kaiser, our misbegotten kin. A shame you did not join us long ago, else you would live to see this world burn. You could have been master of your race, but now you will need to die with all the others."

"What did you do to the mutants?" Ozaki demanded, voice calm despite his seething rage.

"We have used them for their purpose. They were always intended to serve, and despite all your measures, you cannot change nature. Your mutants are our Vicariun, the serum given to this world made of our design. The Xilians were always ours, as were all other races that tried and failed to destroy you. Our servants disappoint."

"What?" Ozaki asked with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean, 'All other races?'"

"Has your kind never wondered, why with the first appearance of our kind, a world nigh-untouched by the stars suddenly gained so many visitors? Xilians, Simians, Nebulans, Millenians, Leviathans, Vortaak. All served us, knowingly or not. All were slave to our will. As your kind would have been, were it not for you. Every now and then, our essence takes too well to its host, and gives birth to Kaiser, Ghidorah in the form of mortals. Our essence is supreme, so you cannot be controlled, even by our powers. You alone hold the might of armies and ages, a god in mortal form. You are Ghidorah, my kin."

Ozaki stood, gazing at the swarm of beasts before him. He stood straight, closing his eyes, breathing gently. Then, his eyes shot open, and he let loose a golden stream of energy behind him, frying half a dozen of the Ghidorah-mutants to charred corpses.

"I am a human, and we will not surrender to you!"

"Ghighighighi, no, you will not." The prime Ghidoran spoke, grinning widely. "These miserable creatures are no match for a Kaiser, I know this. They will all die to your hand, those we have changed. The mutants made from your blood are likewise immune to our influence, but essence will not save from tooth and claw and star fury. You will kill these, your brothers, to the last, as they themselves kill all others hear. You will stand as a Kaiser should, alone amongst a mountain of corpses."

Ozaki vanished, reappearing in front of the hanging beast, his leg swinging from the side. Everything above the should vanished in a cloud of red, the wall on the other side turning red and gold. Ozaki landed, eyes burning red as he gazed at the horde of monsters. Glowing red met glowing red, and the army charged to their deaths.

xxxx

Ghidorah looked down at the tiny world that was burning below. The defenders of the world were putting up the fight It had known they would, but in truth, it didn't matter. In a matter of hours, It's true plan would come to fruition, and the vermin below would be wiped from the face of the universe forever. A silver head swiveled over to look at the hideous, squidlike alien lord Ikameijin, something of It's second. He had been like a Ghidorah once, full of pride and absolute surety in his strength. Perhaps that was why it had been so pleasant to crush that ideal, showing him his true place beneath Ghidorah? It did not matter, he would serve.

"Take the Dehadrayth to the designated orbit. It is nearly time to awaken the Lord."

xxxx

At the beginning of the World, all was whole. All land was a single land, and all the waters a single ocean. All life was grass untrodden and trees unmolested, the skies filled only with soft clouds and the rays of the Sun. The World, the Earth, was silent, save the lapping waves at the soft wind. But in the vast emptiness, the Earth was not alone.

Far beyond the light of the Sun, in the cold reaches where the stars were not so bright, there lived things that had taken the radiance of the stars as their own, and who took all life into themselves and left the worlds gray and barren. And these things were not content with their barren rocks, but wished to be the only radiance in all the darkness, beyond the stars and vast cosmic displays. And so these things sought the life that might one day rise to challenge them. It was one of these that found the infant Earth, and so descended upon it.

It came in a great castle of stone and fire cast from its own flesh, and it fell upon the center of the World in a great cascade of light and chaos. This horror rose up from the dust and fire and cast its great roots about the world, and anywhere they touched the grass withered and the trees fell dead. All life on the Earth was slowly consumed in the ravenous thousand maws of the horror.

But the Earth was not silent, and it was not weak, and it cast its life to form its Guardian against the horror. A great form rose up from the sea, a great thing as long as the roots of the beast, with great horns and tusks and a thousand grasping legs. And the creature climbed from the water and made to devouring the roots that were the flesh of the Horror, and light shone from its eyes and burned the dazzling flesh to blackened ashes. And the Horror let out great cries of pain and anger.

But the Guardian was a beast of the Earth, and the Horror took to the skies where it could not follow, and it wrapped itself around the Moon and from there enacted its vengeance. Great storms of light and pillars of fire fell from the Moon down upon the Earth, and the guardian could not defend itself. But the Earth would not let it's guardian fall so easily, and as the Moon passed from the sky and the Sun rose high the Earth rose up and cast a great shell about the Guardian. And as the Sun set and the Moon rose to bring the Horror into view, the great shell burst and the Guardian was reborn. With a silver body as great as the mountains and vast wings that shone with all the colours on the Earth, the Guardian took flight and followed the Horror to its perch. And there it rent the Horror loose from the rock and cast it back down to the Earth, and the land broke into many pieces from the fall. The Guardian cast its full radiance upon the Horror, and broke its flesh and boiled its blood, and sealed it in a great sleep. And the Earth was up and devoured the Horror, sealing it beneath the surface forevermore.

With its duty done, the Guardian fell exhausted to the Earth, and its wings fell into the sea and there became all the beasts that would thence dwell in the waters, and its body broke apart and became all the beasts of the land. And from the Guardian's head came a shape like its own, a great moth that would serve to protect the world thereafter. And all was at peace once more.

But in the darkness where the stars were not so bright, the Horror's siblings dwelt, and there turned to dust a thousand worlds and consumed their life. And so they dwell still.

* * *

**GFan1**: Almost all of the character names or machine names have some sort of significance. Pretty much anything Japanese is named after someone who worked on a Godzilla film at one point.

**SpinoGuy**: You know, it never ceases to amuse me how many people see talking Godzilla monsters and go "Wrong wrong wrong!" People always seem to forget that the monsters did communicate, quite often. In fact, the first Ghidorah movie, _Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster_, had a very long sequence of Mothra talking to Rodan and Godzilla to get them to help her. Of course, you only know this because the Shobijin were translating. Godzilla monsters are smart, and often talk to each other, mostly shouting insults in battle. It's just there's not always the Shobijin around to translate.

As for the Japanese Godzilla, it was born of necessity. If I have him show up too early, then nothing at that point can be a threat, or else the thing at the end would destroy him. So I've been forced to keep him in reserve until the very end, for what I hope is a scene that makes up for his absence up until now.


	25. Chapter 24

I own absolutely nothing. I came up with most of the ideas in this chapter, but copyrights and all.

* * *

Himura took a step back, desperate to escape from the slowly approaching monster. He could hardly breath, the sheer presence of the thing stalking towards him like the predator it was overwhelming. It was with a sort of shocked clarity that he realized he was going to die. He couldn't hope to fight this thing, and if it was anything like he thought he wouldn't have any hope of outrunning it as he looked at the huge, curved talons that scrapped the floor with every step. In his horrified stupor, he tripped backwards just as the beast opened its mouth. The golden bolt traveled the distance before he could react, sailing just over his head and crashing against a wall somewhere far away in the darkness.

He scrambled back on the ground, the instinct to flee overwhelming even the thought that he could never hope to. He no longer felt sick, he couldn't even feel his legs he was so terrified. He was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it. For a second, the monster seemed silver, and his eyes became so wide they hurt, his body shocked even beyond shaking. He realized that he'd stopped moving, and looked down to see the creatures claws closed on his ankle, trapping him with trivial ease from its strength and sheer mass. He was trapped, at the mercy of something that clearly didn't have any.

"Mortal, scream for me, that your death might amuse your god." The beast said in a voice far too calm and clear for such a demon.

Himura just gaped, not even feeling as everything below the knee went spiraling off into the darkness, the warmth splashing dots onto his face. He looked down numbly, seeing the red smear under the creatures foot, and screamed so loud it felt like his throat was on fire. The creature just looked down at him, red eyes seeming to tear his very soul apart. His scream caught in his throat when something sped over his shoulder and hit the beasts knee. Both Himura and the monster looked at it, a small circle smoking on the scales.

A second red bolt sped over his head and impacted the golden beast, who reacted in confusion rather than pain, another 3 blasts knocking it back and off of him. Himura turned to see Gordon, laser pistol held high and flanked by two mutants, who raised their maser rifles and fired. The beast seemed to vanish as it charged, covering the distance in seconds, the masers searing a hole in its shoulder and another three along its left flank. It was among the two mutants before they could react, the first only managing another two shots to the gut before the jaws closed around his neck and tore his head off. The second got another shot, then dropped the gun and engaged in hand-to-hand. He deflected a number of blows, knocked away a slicing tail, kicked the beast in the side to no effect, was grabbed by the leg to keep him off balance, and took a fist through the chest which painted the wall behind him in blood.

The monster turned to Gordon, grinning as he yanked its arm free, raising its bloody claws to show the man. Glaring, Gordon drew his katana. The beast charged, and Gordon ducked the claws, slicing his blade along the beasts belly. The shining steel slid along the scales with a keening wail, the blade unable to pierce the golden hide. The monster swung its tail, and Gordon went sailing, landing in a heap halfway to Himura. The monster stalked towards him, cackling as it went, light building in its mouth. From where he lay, Gordon rolled over and shot the beast in the neck, causing it to rear back just as it fired, the bolt searing the ceiling. The beast looked at Gordon with a grin, sped towards him, and picked him up by the throat.

"We remember you. You fought these once, stopped our conquering of your world with the Kaiser. You are strong for your kind. We shall enjoy tasting your blood."

"Taste your own first, freak." The man spat.

The beast looked at him with a grin, and lazily tossed him into the wall, were he slid to the floor. Blood poured down his face from a wound above one eye, and his left arm was bent unnaturally from where he had landed on it. The beast loomed above the old Admiral, picking him up and holding him face to face, grinning wide as it opened its mouth to charge another beam. Gordon glared into the blood-red eyes, drew his pistol from his side, and fired point blank into the beasts right eye. It released him with a howl, the beam blasting the place he had just been. It held its face as it looked at him, thrusting its other hand forward to where his head had been a moment before, Gordon rolling underneath it. It turned with a roar and charged, and met with one of Gordon's own, the curved blade lancing up and striking in the center of the creatures chest at its weakest point. Thrusting up with all his might, using the monsters own momentum, Gordon lifted the entire thing above his head with one arm, and brought it down full force. It crashed to the ground with a loud hack, the blade having impaled it when it charged, pushed further with its weight, and gone all the way through as it was brought down, piercing through the monsters spine and embedding itself up to the handle in its chest and sunk several inches into the steel floor.

Gordon rose slowly, silently, and looked down at the thing as the red light faded from its eyes. He took a deep breath, drew his pistol, and put a red bolt in each socket and another two dead center in its neck. Blood trickled from its mouth.

"Told him."

Satisfied that it was dead, he walked over to Himura, and looked at his bloody leg, grimacing.

"Sorry kid, this is gonna hurt." He said, as he drew the pistol, aimed it at the grisly stump, and pulled the trigger.

xxxx

Mara was dragged into a small chamber, tossed into the far wall as Gaonaga closed her in with a series of crystalline bars forming a vertical and horizontal wall. She was trapped, with nothing but a small window to the outside, a view of space and earth. She could see what looked like fires all the war from here, but they were probably the engines of the countless ships falling from the sky to unleash gods only knew what. One more sick joke; to taunt her with a vision of home as it burned. She turned back to look at Gaonaga, the red saurian's gaze moving up and down her body.

"What is it?" She asked, not much else to do than talk.

"Your form, it is familiar. I'm not sure where, but it feels like I've seen it before."

"Unlikely. It is not a power that exists away from earth." She said, gazing down at the lotus on her chest.

"Hmph, regardless." He snorted out, scowling. "This is not how I wished things to be. You deserved to fight and die in battle, not in captivity as some worthless experiment. Damn those dragon bastards."

"You do not serve Ghidorah willingly."

"No, I don't. I serve because I must." He growled out.

"I don't understand."

"I serve because I have no other path. Because I have sworn to serve." He said, sitting down on the other side of the bars.

"You don't seem the sort to surrender to anyone. Why Ghidorah, of all things?" She asked calmly.

"Hmph. Life is never so simple as you seem to make it. But I don't suppose you're going anywhere and I haven't been called yet, so if you want a story, fine." He grunted at her, before looked past her, out through the window to the world below. "I was an experiment by a race called the Rakkan. They sought immortality, and so committed countless atrocities in the name of eternity. The Heart Eater was like me, a victim of their ambition, a bounty hunter changed by an ancient alien artifact into the bloodthirsty beast she is now. Eventually, the completed me, an immortal who cannot die from age, and only if I am killed in battle may I die. But my powers were too great, the attracted beasts from beyond the stars to out world. When they could not use my powers, the Rakkan banished me from the world, and with Heart Eater with me, we took a ship to travel the cosmos. I tried playing the hero, defending worlds from monsters, but every time my power would only attract more, and the mortals would turn to hate me. Again and again, for a thousand years, chased from every planet, hated and vilified by all who knew of the Eternal Roar. In the end, we left the systems of inhabited worlds, and drifted alone through the darkness.  
"How many thousands of years we wandered through the void, I cannot say, but eventually, we arrived in this galaxy, and found a world being attacked. It was Ghidorah, sucking the very life from the planet. Surely, nothing I did could cause more chaos than this beast, this demon? So we landed, and I set out to face it, one more chance to play the hero.  
"I was crushed with ease, tossed like a pebble in a gale and left to die in the mud. But that was not to be my fate. Ghidorah came to me then, and said this. 'You, who are so mighty a warrior, would you wallow in ignominy like a beast? I say this, if you would be a warrior, rise, and serve me. For the remainder of time, you shall by my blade, and countless battles and glory shall be yours.' I had nothing, not but what fool pride I carried with me. And so, I chose to serve a monster, and be the monster that all had called me for an eternity. That is why I serve one who is such a monster, and have done such monstrous things myself."

"You had hope once, but threw it away because you were defeated. You have failed yourself, Gaonaga."

"And what would you know!? Someone like you, fighting for a bunch of mortals like those. They don't revile you! They don't try and kill you!"

"They did, once." Mara said softly. "We're all feared by those that don't understand us. I had those that wanted me dead, just another monster threatening them. But I never let it detour me, never let the ignorant decide my path. I continued down my path until they realized I wasn't a threat, until they began to see me as a guardian. A warrior keeps to their ideals, no matter the trial."

"Don't talk warrior to me, girl. I've been one longer than you've been alive. I'm just not fool enough to believe in being a hero anymore."

"A hero does what is right, regardless of how often they fail. A true warrior never surrenders their soul."

Gaonaga stared at her silently, before standing away and walking to the door as a loud rumbling filled the ship.

"That is the call for the end of your world." The crimson beast spoke reservedly, all bravado lost. "I am sorry, DragonLotus, but your world will die, regardless of what I do. Ghidorah is too strong."

"It is not about strength. It is about will." -Gaonaga stood for a moment, not turning back to her, his hand pressing something on the wall. The bars slid open, and he pointed down the hall in the opposite direction from where they had come from.

"If you believe that, then go down that path. There should be nothing in your way, everything aboard the ship will be off killing your planet."

"And what will I find there?"

"Something Ghidorah won't want you to."

With that, Gaonaga walked off and vanished through the doorway.

xxxx

The Russian Tundra in northernmost Krasnoyarsk was a war-zone unmatched. Just beyond the Taiga, the RAF had gathered as many forces as it could in the middle of nowhere, as far from major population centers as it could get. After studying kaiju movements, the Russian government had determined that the monsters weren't targeting civilians, but were actively trying to destroy the largest forces of opposition. After spreading the message to the rest of the world, they had lured a number of monsters towards their defensive lines, and had slaughtered them with overwhelming firepower. Since then, the monster forces had gathered, scanners reading at least 100 beasts, with more coming every few minutes. Here though, in the cold wilderness in the middle of a raging blizzard, the monsters found themselves outmatched.

The Russians had taken to the worldwide A-K rearmament operations with the same tenacity and methodology they had in everything else. A focus on pure, unrivaled destructive power. As they had with tanks, with submarines, and with nuclear arms, Russia had produced an unmatched armoury of anti-kaiju war machines. Dozens of 80m Mammoth tanks, 18 fortress-class vessels, ultra-high-explosive piercer missiles. Defensive lines spreads in-between hills with their largest machines set up to unleash their maximum broadsides directly into the approaching beasts. Along the hills, troops armed with HMS688 Volk carbines lined 100,000 barrels at the monsters, the maser-snipers giving each soldier the opportunity to deal damage, death of a thousand cuts for every monster. Not the equal of the American maser-rifles, and certainly not a match for the Japanese maser-gatlings, the Volks could be produced in enough numbers to outfit all 3.2 million Russian troops with a surefire means of, if not killing, certainly scratching practically any monster they aimed at. At while one scratch wasn't much, 10,000 would shred any soft-fleshed beast that dared face their lines.

When the beasts attacked, they came in waves. The first were armoured, their plated hides soaking up the storm of projectiles, allowing the softer-skinned creatures to have a chance at getting close enough to fight. A number of creatures stood back beyond visual range, firing organic mortars or high-powered missiles that slammed into the great red shields that protected the entire line. Flyers would occasionally dash past, letting off a beam or missile before vanishing back into the snow. Any that came to close were met with a hail of missiles so intense no piece larger than a brick survived to reach the ground. The sheetlike waves of ammunition exploded across a 12 kilometer line, the resulting explosions felt a 100 kilometers away and visible from space.

The line itself was a sight to see. Massive barrels firing bullets the size of cars, missiles packing hundreds of tonnes of TNT sailing like a swarm of insects into the army of walking hills, tens of thousands of red lines being drawn from the hill-line to the attacking behemoths. The national anthem was blaring over the radios, and the men were singing along at the top of their lungs just to hear themselves over the roar of the guns and the cries of the kaiju. After all, if they happened to die today, why not take their last moments to appreciate the single largest showing of human firepower in the history of the planet?

The moment the first armoured creature reached the shield line, explosions ripped through the back of the line, and the radios changed to cries of "Ambush!", "Flanked!", and "An army from nowhere!"

xxxx

Sir Arthur Lionel Callahan stood proudly before the beast that attacked him, parrying a blow with his shield and striking with his sword. He found his unit suitably ironic, for they had been made for this, in a more amusing way that most. The Knights of the Round Table were the perfect media image. A group of 20 knightly mecha, from 80 to 100m tall, his own King Arthur KRT001 unit standing atop them all at 110, though a good deal of that was crown. In truth, he himself found it all rather ridiculous. They were all very flashy and made to look the part of regal knight, the expenses no doubt somewhat equivalent to the knights of old themselves. Of course, to make sure they didn't fall flat, they were also outfitted with the best equipment the AFC could buy. This meant that for all their flash, they could back it up with bang. It also meant each unit was about twice as costly as it really needed to be, but the tax payers didn't need to know that. Besides, for every complaint one made, you certainly couldn't deny that the gathered knights, fighting with immense HF-blades and STEM energy shields against whatever unlucky monster decided to mess with the British Union made for a truly awe inspiring sight.

He was sure he was put in charge of the KA mostly because of his name, as Jonathan in the Ywain was certainly a better pilot than he was and could no doubt have made better use of the machine, but still, as long as they fought together, it wasn't so much an issue. Truly, for all he complained about the pomp, Arthur couldn't deny that he loved it all. He and his 15 brothers truly felt like a family, and really, swinging around a sword damn near as long as Big Ben was tall was a hell of a way to make a living. He parried the scything tendrils of the monster as it came again, his predictably named Excalibur HF broadsword slicing through the tough orange flesh with ease. It made a truly marvelous sight, the high-frequency field making the sword glow gold. Honestly, with all the show they put into it, he was surprised they didn't have him shouting "Excalibur!" with every swing or some such nonsense. Still, as the spiked tentacles made to grasp him, he couldn't resist a battle-cry as he swung the great blade and hacked a dozen grasping appendages off in a single stroke.

Yes, it was good to be the King.

As he drove his blade into the heart of the beast, an explosion rent the air. He looked up to see a great silver form descending from the sky, and saw the Leodegrance struck with a huge red blast from the descending machine.

"William!" He roared, striking a charging monster in half with a single blow as he charged to his fallen comrade.

He looked up, and saw the mammoth thing opening up, dozens of red eyes gazing out at him.

"Oh, bollocks."

xxxx

The Africa line was failing. The initial line had engaged in the Sahara, between Chad and Niger. The had gathered their forces, brought out enough aircraft to have a metal cloud hanging over a 20 kilometer circle, and set up their centimechs along the outer perimeter, attaching the massive machines to form a solid circle of guns and shielding. Everything had been going according to plan, the monsters arrived, and the line opened fire. For the first few minutes, it worked perfectly. Nothing could pierce their defense, and anything that got close was torn to shreds by Emperor bolt-cannons, or else was melted under the yellow flames of the centimech flamethrowers.

Then, something hit them. They couldn't tell what, but it blew open a hole in their left flank, and something got in. Like a giant humanoid thing with deep gray skin covered in white writing, huge tusks and eyes of solid onyx that crackled with red lightning, the thing took everything they could throw at it and just kept coming. With its opening came the tide, and soon the entire line was forced to draw back, a retreating snake of metal and fire that was slowly being eaten from the back. Everything they unleashed failed to damage it, and with the orbital array focused on destroying the invading aliens, their primary weapons for taking out things like this were completely preoccupied. They had just plowed through a large series of dunes when something rose up from the sands, a huge metal snake with spinning jaws like a hundred blenders, and came down on the center of their forces.

With no choice but to split their forces lest they all be caught and slaughtered as a single unit, the line split apart in every direction. Then the skies opened up, and a storm of red fell down on the exposed defenders.

xxxx

Monster Island. When people hear that name, the first thing they thought of was the Japanese facility in the Bonin Islands. Of course, that was the first Monster Island, the one that had existed for nearly as long as the International Anti-Kaiju Initiative itself. But next on the list was the American facility in northern Polynesia. The island was most famous for starting out as a government secret, made during a time where the world wasn't feeling quite so cooperative as when the first facility was made.

During the mutant outbreak of 1999, Japan refused to send aid to the numerous places being attacked around the globe, citing that any loss in strength could leave them vulnerable to another Godzilla attack. The American military, in classic American fashion, decided to pick up the slack and send forces all across the globe to assist. They would have failed, if it weren't for the American Godzilla. Together with the American military forces under Major(later Colonel) Anthony Hicks, this Godzilla helped save people across the globe, and soon became a worldwide icon. Few bothered learning that it wasn't the same beast that attacked New York, but rather it's child, or that the American military initially had the stance of "All mutations must die." And when the Leviathan aliens attacked the entire planet, it wasn't the JSDF that saved the day, but Godzilla and H.E.A.T. It was after this event that militaries around the world realized that this Godzilla was officially off the table of actively dangerous mutants.

It was a rare few who knew the real events of the Leviathan attack, or that their former base was turned into the new Monster Island. And when the Eco-terrorist group S.C.A.L.E. proved island security was a joke, America responded like America was wont to do. The islands systems were completely overhauled, equipped with every sensor and security measure known to man, enough laser turrets to vaporize half the island and everything on it, quadruple-redundant measures for every system more important than a coffee maker, and a triple-layered shield strong enough to withstand anything short of the Death Star. It was turned from a nature preserve into a fortress, and it was this fortress that managed to go the entire "Alien Decade" without failing once. The Xilians failed to so much as get past the first shield, the Vortaak didn't even risk sending any of their monsters at it, and the crystal radiation only served to better the island when roughly 40 square kilometers of mountain burst up along the south side, not even scratching the walls and quickly being hollowed-out and converted into a nearly solid nest of guns and missile batteries. Exactly 1 kaiju attacked it during the Pacific Event, and the creatures weren't stupid enough to send a second one.

It was this fortress that the current invaders found waiting for them. The surrounding ocean was already dyed with a dozen colours of blood, the sky was practically on fire, and even the huge alien ships that tried landing in the ocean were forced to either retreat to a further location or else be torn to shreds. Through all of this, Colonel Hicks sat in the command center, not even feeling the rumble of the explosions so far in, watching the monitors show the carnage outside. He sat in his seat, knowing that somewhere, Nick Tatopoulus was figuring out a way to stop all this. He always did.

"Hurry up Worm-Guy, our ammo won't last forever."

xxxx

Komodithrax unleashed a blast of blue fire at the gripping hands as the spider-thing tried to grab her, palm-mouths shrieking in pain. She blew it back and sent it crashing into the river, freeing her to join her daughter against the other two. She pounced from her position on the mountainside, sailing through the air and coming down on the statue an instant before it fired orange beams from its eyes, the shot going wide and avoiding her child. Free of the distraction, her daughter ducked low to avoid the jumping monster, headbutting it up and away. The shackled-monstrosity twisted in midair and landed perfectly, already charging again. Grabbing the statue by the neck, Komodithrax tossed it at the leaping thing, who was forced to abandon its attack and avoid its flying ally.

The two dragons came together, what wounds they had slowly healing. It wasn't quick or entirely lifesaving in the heat of battle, but if it came down to attrition, the mutations held the advantage. The leaping beast attacked again, shrieking at them through its muzzle, flipping over itself to swipe at them with its feet. She ducked back and her daughter moved to the side, avoiding the deadly talons. They both let loose a burst of flames at the creature, only for it to leap in between the blasts and attack them with its spinning tail. They both ducked, the tail going over their heads, and then attacked as one, Komodithrax gripping the tail at the end while her child slammed into the things chest, lifting it off the ground and allowing Komodithrax to toss it away.

The spider came then, leaping through the air and firing yellow beams from its eight eyes. The beams seared their hides but didn't cause any real damage, and twin fireballs stopped it mid-jump and sent it crashing to the ground. Before they could capitalize on the downed arachnid, the statue came flying in and slammed into her side, sending the both of them sailing into a mountain. She recovered, smashed her tail into its arm and unleashed a burst of fire into its face, the stone creature not even noticing the fire as it tackled her into the solid rock. She let out a howl as her bones creaked, clamping her jaws in pain around the things arm and biting down hard enough to crack the stone. It released her, and she slammed it into the wall again and again, before slamming it into the ground at her feet, the slope carrying it down to crash at the foot on the incline.

As this happened, her daughter fought the spider, its grasping hands trying to grab hold of her, the freakish mouths hungrily biting at her. She ducked an extended limb, bit down on it at the wrist and pulled. The arachnid screeched as its arm was torn from its socket, and three hands shot forward to grip her by the throat and shoulders. The fingers gripped down, piercing into her skin and drawing blood. She roared in pain as the mouths ate at her flesh, the fingers somehow draining the fluid from her veins through their tips. She shook violently, trying to shake it free, but the things horrid grip was too strong. She felt weak, sluggish, and her thrashing slowed as she looked into the beasts grinning eyes. Taking a deep breath, the mutation roared, and blew a cerulean blaze point blank into the things face. It howled in pain, trying to wrench itself free, but its grip was too deep and she grabbed it by the forearms. The blaze continued until her lungs were empty, and she relented with a panting gasp. The charred husk of the spider twitched slightly, the mandibles letting out a final "Kreeehkraaa" before it fell to the ground dead, its fingers losing their strength and sliding from her flesh.

Komodithrax rushed down to her daughter, checking the grisly wounds in her neck, and felt her back explode with pain. The shackled-thing skidded to a stop on her other side, its back spines coated in her blood. The statue floated next to it, eyes flashing as it unleashed twin streams of blue energy into the two of them. The dragons fell, the beams searing holes into their sides, and the bound-horror pounced. It landed on Komodithrax's side, skittering madly as it slammed its mace-like tail into her daughter, eliciting a howl of pain. It brought it down again, and again, and the 4th blow impacted with the loud crack of breaking bones.

In a rage, Komodithrax pushed herself up, knocking the thing off her. Before it even hit the ground, she tackled it in the chest, using it to block the blue beams from the statue as she charged. The thing roared as the beams seared _its_ flesh, and with a massive effort she slammed the beast into the statue, shoving both backwards and into the rocks. Taking a step back, she roared at their fallen forms, and unleashed a stream of fire into the downed creatures. He daughter leapt next to her, and with an identical roar fired her own stream, the blaze so hot it began melting the very rock. The twin inferno continued until something like a chiming bell rang out from the hole, followed a second later by the sound of shattering glass. Shards flew out from the blaze, bits of stone and crystal landing in melting heaps on the ground, and half the statues head sailed into the river.

Finally relenting their attack, the two reptiles let out roars of victory. Then, a sound like unlocking chains came from the inferno, and glowing red eyes gazed out at them. Komodithrax barely had time to react before the gray form sped out of the fire, and tackled her daughter with such force that she rocketed away and crashed into a line of small buildings. Her mother looked at the beast that was now free, and her eyes widened in horror. Now free from its bounds, the creatures true condition was plain to see. It was horribly thin, clearly emaciated, and yet its lean muscles were like solid metal. Purple saliva dripped from its short, ugly maw, and its hands ended in sickle-claws, twitching sporadically. The thing didn't even look at her, arched backwards awkwardly and just staring into the sky. Without any sign of action, it charged at her, spinning over itself to try and smash her with its tail.

She jumped back, being forced to duck low to avoid its slicing talons aimed at her neck. She dashed under it and swept her tail at it, only for it to grab on by its mouth and kick her in the back. She fell, rolling to get it free, but it just jumped over her, landing on the other side and bringing its claws down at her. She rose, slashing at it with her claws and forcing it to jump back. It charged at her with a roar, and she sunk low, digging slightly into the ground to fully avoid it. As it landed behind her, she unleashed a blast of fire, and the beast howled at her. It wasn't simply a screech of pain, but a cry of pure anguish and rage that felt like claws digging into her very mind. She nearly passed out from the pain, only to let out her own cry as it sank its teeth into her gut. It tore at her like a rabid dog, until a fireball smashed into its side and launched it free. Her daughter dashed in and tackled it, but it simply hopped away and landed on its hands, gittering at them.

Komodithrax rose, and looked at the thing, now fully aware of what this thing was. It was strong, fast, and utterly mad. If it had been sane, it would have killed them both easily. Even as she watched it, it jumped away on its hands and tore at a group of trees, smashing them wildly with both hands until they were nothing but splinters. She never took her eyes off it, giving a commanding roar at her daughter. The roar was returned, and they both attacked. Her daughter charged, unleashing a blaze at it, while she herself gathered fire in her maw. The beast reacted, hopping over the flames and trying to slice her child apart with claws and fangs, cackling hysterically. Her daughter was fast and strong, but this beast was more so, its only apparent weakness being its own mind and its horrible condition. The flames boiled until flecks of red wafted out of her mouth, and Komodithrax unleashed a fireball at the creature. It turned, staring at the flames, and cocked its head in confusion. Then, not even changing its stance, it brought its tail up and smashed the fireball apart.

The burst of flames that took it in the face from her daughter blinded it with a howl, and the second fireball impacted its chest, sending it sailing back. Gathering all her fury into herself, Komodithrax prepared to end the beast. Such a mercy could not be withheld from so miserable a creature. Standing side-by-side with her daughter, blue light gathered in their eyes and mouths as the beast charged at them. It jumped, leaping forward with claws extended and mouth wide open to tear them apart. The twin azure blasts took it midair, sent it crashing to the ground, and there burned it into a smoking pit. The fire lasted until the very ground was molten, and the flames vanished.

In the smoldering crater lay the thing, staring off into the sky, its chest burnt down to the bones. It didn't howl, didn't look at either of them, just stared off into space as it died. The two dragons let out mournful wails that such a thing had ever lived.

Then the sky above them glowed white and split apart with a boom.

xxxx

Godzilla ducked low, avoiding a swipe of a scythe of bone and countering with a whip of his tail which took the beasts legs out from under it, opening its guard for him to strike. His teeth sunk into its scaled throat, ripping it open and spilling green blood into his mouth, the regeneration already closing the wound. He spat the chunk of meat away, growled low in his throat, and then blew a stream of fire into its throat, cooking it from within. The fire licked out of the beasts gaping mouth, nose, and eyes, and its body went limp as it died. Godzilla gave a short roar of victory, then turned to the remaining pack of monsters. Of those that started, 7 remained.

A blue bull creature charged, 3 eyes glaring at him, its 5 horns lowered in a deadly line. He hopped to the side, slamming his tail into its face as it passed and sending it stumbling. A silver mantis with 7 arms came next, the sword-tipped limbs swinging violently at him. He jumped back and launched a blast of fire at it, before leaping over the swinging blades and smashing its head with both feet, sending it crashing to the streets. Next came two mechanical owls of gold and silver, firing bombs and spears of ice. He dodged the bombs and melted the ice, ducking under swinging talons as they passed. He gripped one by the leg and swung it into the other, sending both crashing down. Flames washed over him as a living inferno in the shape of a demon attack, its glowing yellow core spitting brilliant bursts at him. He waded through the bursts, and charged directly through the fire, dissipating it only for it to reform unfazed.

Before he could attack again, something closed around his tail with a wet sensation, before pain raced along it. He turned to see a huge yellow ooze, filled with rock and metal and huge bones, staring at him with a massive skull as it melted his tail, flesh and muscle disintegrating while the bones were just sucked in to float with the rest. As it ate him, the thing grew larger. A burst of fire down his tail freed it while the beast fell back with a roar, his flesh smoking from the acidic slime. Before he could attack again, the bull slammed into his side, and sent him crashing to the ground. It came again, the inferno following behind. He rolled aside and kicked up, smacking the beast in the jaw and sending it flying into the inferno, both falling to the ground.

He rose again, and the owls came, holding long silver spears, intent on impaling him. He sent a fireball sailing into each of their faces, before jumping up and tackling the silver one to the ground, before hopping to the side to avoid the golds attack, smashing it with his tail as it soared past. The ooze fired globs at him, and he blasted them midair with pinpoint fireballs. The inferno attacked him again, and he slashed his claws at the ground, sending up a splash of dirt that caught it and doused a good deal of the elemental. Godzilla roared, and decided it was time to end this.

He jumped away from them, letting the mantis fly at him. Building up green fire in his gut, he waited until it was right on top of him, before leaping through the swinging blades and tackling it to the street. As it lay beneath him, he opened his mouth and breathed a line of fire down on it. He kept the blaze up until he was sure it was enough, and leapt away. The silver insect lay in a curled up heap, the light fading from its eyes. Next came the bull, head down and horns bared. He me its charge with his own, slamming his own tough skull into it, the beast stumbling back at the surprise move. He continued his charge, jumping up and landing on its head, bringing it to the ground. He hopped onto its back, and as it tried to rise he whipped his tail into its face, knocking it out cold.

He didn't have time to move before the owls came, piercing his side with the lances, nearly punching right through him. With a roar of fury and effort, Godzilla spun around, gripping one by the wing and tossing both into the ooze, the lances coming free with them. As they collided with it, their metal began to melt as the slime at at them. The inferno attacked again, and Godzilla let out a burst of powerful air that blew it directly into the other three. The fire caught the ooze, and the entire thing went up in a massive conflagration. By the time the fire faded, the owls were smoking husks, the ooze was nothing but blackened bone, and the inferno was spent, an unconscious humanoid creature not 5 meters tall laying atop the once silver owl.

Godzilla gave a grunt, his side healing shut, and turned to the last monster. All the time he had fought, it had just stood there and watched. It was a horrific thing, sickly brown and blue flesh from the waist up, wires running through its skin, bits of muscles either exposed through dead skin or bulging cancerously up in places. From the waist down it was a spider-like mass of black metal with red power lines running through it, and its mouthless head had the top and most of the left skull replaced with machinery, its single red eye gazing at him, the right a blind yellow. As if confirming there were no other monsters remaining, the cyborg stalked towards him with mechanical precision, and fired a thin beam from its left eye.

Godzilla charged, ducking low to allow his armoured back to take the red beam. A large red lens in its right breast glowed, and fired a much larger beam at him, searing the flesh along his side and swinging along his still healing wounds. He roared, but didn't stop his charge, slamming his head into its necrotic chest. The beast didn't even budge, grabbing by his shoulders with its massive hands, and lifted him into the air. It slammed him into the ground, and then angled him slightly and brought him down on its pointed knees, piercing his softened flesh and drawing more blood. He couldn't even groan as it raised him up and slammed him into the ground. It raised its front legs, intent on impaling him completely. He rolled to the side, but the monster just stomped down again, forcing another roll. Realizing he couldn't escape, he rolled in between its legs as it stomped, and kicked up at it from bellow. It hardly moved, and simply raised its legs again, only for a green fireball to take it in its mouthless face. Slightly off balance, Godzilla took the chance to attack, and bit into its gut. The monsters red bits glowed, and a shockwave blasted him back from the monster.

He landed a short way away, breathing hard from his injuries, while the cyborg seemed unfazed. Godzilla rose and took a deep breath, gathering the fire within him. He charged, dashing towards the monster and taking another red beam to the side for his trouble. Not relenting, Godzilla jumped high, sailing over its head and landing on its back legs. The pointed limbs sunk into the ground from the force and weight, sinking up to the knee in the asphalt. The cyborg struggled to get free, but was wedged too deeply in the ground, its front legs scrambling helplessly. Still gathering fire, Godzilla slowly made him way to the front of the beast, and it stopped its struggling. It just looked at him, seeming to accept its fate, and he unleashed a massive wave of blue fire the engulfed it. The blaze burned for seconds, roaring like a dragon as it devoured its prey. At last, the fire faded, revealing the cyborg sitting in a pool of melted metal, everything below its chest charred to bone.

As the final beast fell, Godzilla let loose a long roar to the heavens in victory. It had been years since he'd had a fight like that, and while he was normally above things like this, he would always have a primal desire to prove his strength, and this had been a glorious victory. Before he could take so much as step to find new foes, a loud hum filled the air. Godzilla looked up, and let out a wroth growl. Hundreds of sleek craft descended from the sky, circling around a number of much larger shapes. As the massive shapes landed, the ships opened and spewed out a swarm of robotic soldiers, at least 20 meters tall and armed with vicious looking weapons. As he prepared to charge, the sky above was lit up bright, white spheres appearing across the sky.

Godzilla watched as the orbs shattered, and around the world, thousands of Ghidorah appeared. The bursts of energy released from their appearance stirred the clouds of smoke and ash, a gray-black cloud blotting the sky across a great portion of the planet. It spread unnaturally fast and completely, casting the world in darkness. Against this blackness, the only light was the burning fires and the glowing forms of ten thousand dragons.

Godzilla gazed up at them all, and let out a loud roar. And a hundred red eyes gazed down at him, to the sound of a cackling screeching that filled the blasted heavens. Looking down as a white orb burst into view, Godzilla growled as the red form of Gaonaga walked out, a large grin on his face.

"Come, little dragon. No girl to save you this time. Prepare to die."

xxxx

The _Dehadrayth_ moved over top the cold mountains, the massive vessel of rock and metal sat a hundred kilometers above the ground, the titanic vessels powerful systems preventing any atmospheric or gravitational effects from effecting the planet, and thus, from interfering with the operation. Ghidorah watched from his position in the viewing chamber, gazing at the massive chunk of rock and snow below him. The mountains were impressive, not he largest range It had ever seen, but majestic in its own right. Fitting for the tomb of a god. It glanced aside at Ikameijin and the beast nodded, confirming this as the location. The mortals had many names for this place, the "Holy Mountain," the "Holy Mother," and similar such righteous titles. The title most knew it as seemed lame and unfitting in comparison, but truthfully, it did not matter.

In a short time, this "Everest" would be nothing dust a cloud of dust that would herald the return of this universes god.

"Activate the gravity tide." The silver dragon said, 6 red eyes gazing down to remember this place before it vanished. "Wipe this blight from the galaxy, and let us be done with this planet."

xxxx

Gordon carried Himura down the hall, the young man limping at his side as he did his best not to slow them down. Gordon would have carried him if he could have, it would have been faster, but he needed to keep his pistol drawn in case they were attacked again. It wasn't much, but anything was better than being defenseless, and he was too injured to pull off any more tricks with his katana. The going was slow, Himura's cauterized stump not lending itself very well for speed, but they wouldn't have risked going too quickly anyway, lest they attract another of those monsters. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the end of the hallway, and turned down the corridor that held the M-Unit commanders rooms.

Then they stopped cold, just staring at what was before them. Gordon was stunned, and he couldn't imagine what Himura must have thought. The entire length of hallway was filled with corpses, at least a hundred of the golden monsters crumpled in bloody heaps, cratered in the walls, a few even embedded in the ceiling. In the center of it all stood Ozaki, his clothes in tatters and his bare chest covered in a hundred red lines, his entire body coated in blood and bits of gold. The man didn't appear to be moving, and Gordon couldn't tell from this distance if he was even breathing.

"Ozaki. Are you alright?" Gordon called, gripping his pistol tight.

The man looked up at them, and for a moment, his eyes seemed to be a more dangerous red than the mutants had been. Just as quickly as it had been there, it was gone, and Ozaki starred at him with exhaustion written all over his face.

"Admiral, good to see you." Ozaki said, slumping slightly before turning to an open door. Or rather, the opening was missing the door, which was most likely the one a few meters away, impaled through three separate Ghidorans. "Everyone, it's the Admiral. It's safe to come out."

As the mutant commander stepped aside, a group slowly filled out of the room. 3 dozen or so, all told, clothes filthy and more than a few covered in blood, but everyone seemed to be in one piece. Gordon was relieved that so many had survived, but also grieved. There had been over 1200 people in the compound when it had come under attack. Was this all there was left, so few? Shaking his head, Gordon looked at Ozaki, getting back in his Admiral's mindset.

"Commander, give me a sit-rep. Is this it for survivors?"

"Sir, these are the non-combat personnel that I managed to find from here to engineering. I also managed to gather six mutant soldiers not transformed, armed with two mg's and a rocket launcher. I ordered them to watch the hall to the science section for survivors and enemies. I ordered them to radio in on any sign of hostiles, but so far, I haven't received any contact, so I believe they are also alive. That is all I know, sir."

"Two sectors worth hmm? Better than I thought. Very good commander. Now, we need to get to the Omega hangar. We need you out there in the Gotengo, and we need to get these men and woman to a more defensible location."

"Sir! I'll lead the way." Ozaki said, and began down the hall, the rest of them following behind.

They made a stop at an intersection before a stairway, Ozaki running down the other direction and vanishing. The group stood gathered in the darkness for several minutes, wary of any monsters coming out of the darkness. Gordon checked over the personnel, most of them shaken up, but they seemed to have held together. Having Ozaki there and seeing what he'd done made them feel safe enough as long as he was with them, and when he came running back with a group of 8 mutants and nearly 40 other non-coms, Gordon could see the smiles. Gordon noticed that the Eriksson girl was with them, but neither Weiss or Miayamoto was with her. That was bad. Without those two...

"Good work soldiers." Gordon said to the gathered mutants, all of them bloodied in one way or another, one even missing an arm and an eye, but all still ready to go. "Ozaki, you take point down the stairwell. Kisuke, Suzahara, cover our flank. The rest of you, up front, cover our descent. Let's move people!"

The group sped down the hall, Ozaki far ahead to make sure the path was clear. It was a tense few minutes of running through the darkness, unsure even with the mutants defending them. A single one of the Ghidorah mutants could no doubt slaughter them all if it got in past the masers. They reached the bottom of the stairs and when Ozaki walked through and closed the door behind him their was the sounds of something happening on the other side. A few seconds later, Ozaki opened it back up and let them all through, no sign of whatever had caused the sounds. They continued down the passage in deep red emergency light, and finally turned a corner to find a long hall, filled with decimated mutants of both kinds. The defenders had put up a real fight, as there were more gold than black bodies, some of the monsters blown into chunks by the maser-gatlings.

A light shone at the far end, and Ozaki stood shadowed in the light. As they reached him, he gave Gordon a thumbs up and a tired smile. They had made it. Entering out into the vast chamber, Himura couldn't help but gasp at the sight that awaited them, and Gordon couldn't help but smirk at the kids reaction. Sitting before them in the largest dock the JSDF had, a good half a mile underground beneath dozens of layers of plating and shields, costing more than everything else on the base combined, was what they were here for. It was a beautiful, terrible sight that got Gordon's blood pumping. He hadn't been in one of these for 20 years, and damn if this one wasn't a sight. Ozaki was already running down the hall, making sure the Gotengo was ready to launch. Gordon turned to the gathered mutants, and pointed at what was directly next to it, and grinned.

"Okay kids, pile in. We've got some uninvited guests that need an ass whooping."

With no further adieu, the survivors of the JSDF compound hurried across the walkways, straight into the waiting maw of the leviathan Susanoo.

xxxx

Mara crept down the hallway, wary of any remaining servants of the Ghidorah that had not joined the destruction of earth. The ship seemed deserted, but she wasn't about to take any chances. She ran as silently as she could through the deserted hallways, the total absence of life far more terrifying than reassuring. If that massive army of monsters wasn't here, it could only mean it was on earth. She wasn't sure what sh was looking for, or what she would even do once she found it. She couldn't imagine anything that would help her got off this ship and somehow save the entire planet from the army of monsters. A single Ghidorah was a threat to the entire planet. An entire army of them could wipe it clean.

She picked up speed, no longer caring about being found, it wouldn't matter if she couldn't get out in time to save everyone, anyone that was left. She summoned a wind to carry her as fast as she could down the stone hall, murals of crystal showing who knew how many conquests lining every pillar. She didn't want to think of many many of them there were, how many worlds had faced extinction. She was almost blinded as she reached full speed, racing down the hall as a green blur, before stopping dead before a monolithic door. This had to be it. The doorway was tremendous, even by monster standards, easily a kilometer tall and half as wide, covered in runes and symbols that made her eyes hurt just looking at them. The more she stared, the more she thought she could see something, a shape like a tree with a thousand branches. Or a dragon with a thousand heads.

She shook her mind clear, gathered her power, and unleashed a stream of fire at the door. She kept the blaze until she couldn't any longer, panting and coughing from the effort. She gazed at it, pain creeping through her body. How was she supposed to break through?

She almost didn't sense it in time, throwing herself to the side an instant before the scything blade could take her head off. She landed in a crouch to find the Heart Eater facing her, eyes more manic than ever before.

"Knew it, knew you would be here. I could sense, smell your heart, wicked thing, wretched. We knew you would come here, fail, free by Eternal Roar. Always a fool. Now I can eat your heart! Eat it whole!"

"I thought your master wanted me alive?" Mara said, slowly circling to put the open hall at her back. "Is it wise to disobey him?"

"Skreehihihihi! Foolish thing, wretched thing. Masters want only what is in your flesh, take you apart to get it. I will sift through your flesh until I find it, save trouble for them. And still, I will eat your heart, your wretched heart that cries to me! Can't you hear it, that cry, that wretched call!? It tears at me, hates me, hates you, wants you to die so it can be free again!"

Mara was about to respond, but then she felt it. She _could_ hear it, like a gnashing of jaws in her mind. It wanted the thing before her to die. Not the Heart Eater, not exactly, but something, something dark and evil and monstrous. Her very body _needed_ to kill it, before it destroyed her, ate her alive. She took her stance, glaring at the cyborg from behind her visor, and growled unnaturally.

"Come then, you black god, and I shall slay thee again!"

xxxx

His claws were around its neck. Again this thing had come, not the same as before, but still, it was. How many times did he have to kill it, how many!? Even as he choked the life out of it, it laughed at him, that same cackle he'd heard all his life, all his lives. Every him that had lived had faced this thing, this demon, again and again, like his very destiny was to fight this bastard to the end of time.

He didn't feel the light, didn't realize he wasn't surrounded by steel and clouds until it had his feet. He dropped the thing, and it stared at him with those eyes, laughing all the time. It rose up his legs, had him by the gut, had his arms before he knew it. He roared at it, seethed, built his fire only for it to vanish. It laughed, even as it bled and writhed with half its body gone it laughed.

He felt it creep up his throat, felt it in his mind, felt his mind slowly fade. All his anger in that moment, caught for an eternity. Those eyes and that laugh and his unending hatred for it, trapped in a moment of time.

* * *

**SpinoGuy**: Ghidorah is Ghidorah, plain and simple. It's just that Ghidorah is somewhat difficult to characterize beyond destroying everything and cackling like the Joker. Smartest monster by far, extremely cruel, and much more than a simple space dragon if you watch the Rebirth of Mothra films. And of course, there's the Orochi bits from GMK, which was worked into this in a way that is about to become extremely apparent.

**shadow uzumaki**: Most monsters are either from the Godzilla films, a few are from the American Godzilla 90s cartoon, and a few others are from Kaiju Combat. A lot of the side monsters are original designs, because in a story with so many, why not?


	26. Chapter 25

Nothing is owned. Everything is copyrighted.

* * *

Gordon led the group into the titanic Susanoo, the godslayer-class vessel damn near as large as the entire ground-level compound. Even without its main cannon, it sported enough turrets and defenses to take on an entire fleet of fortress-classes. He just hoped that it would be enough for what was going on outside. They're been receiving only sparse transmissions, and from what got through, it seemed the entire planet was in the same shape as them or worse.

Alarms blared as the Gotengo began to launch. Ozaki was the only one aboard, deciding that he'd be aiming purely for anti-kaiju combat, and that no other crew was needed with the psychic controller. At this point, Gordon didn't really have an alternative; he needed everyone else aboard the Susanoo, and even then they'd be lucky to have a skeleton crew. He stepped inside just as the black craft sped out of its launch tube.

He led the remaining mutant soldiers in first, 4 remaining outside to ensure the bay was in total lockdown and clear of any Gh-mutants before following. They hadn't been the first ones here, and there was a good chance they weren't alone as they charged into the Susanoo. Their objective was simple. Secure the bridge, check the on-board systems for any lifesigns, and anything that wasn't human would get locked down and the air vented while any surviving personnel would be led to the bridge. After that, the entire ship would be locked down, save for any essential systems. Those too would be vented, along with all adjacent corridors, and then the crew could finally begin the launch sequence and getting all stations maned. Hardly the fastest method, but even one Gh-M could mean the failure of what was likely humanities only hope.

As they sped towards the bridge, Gordon noticed several lines of blood on the floor, though there weren't any bodies. That either meant that whatever had bled had been moving, or there weren't any bodies left. He gripped his pistol, motioning for the mutants to ready their masers to fire on his signal. As they reached the last corridor leading to their objective, sounds of fighting could be heard, grunts and roars interspersed by shots from a maser and gurgling death rattles. Gordon nodded to the mutants behind him and ran full speed through the doorway.

He stopped short when he saw a half dozen gold monsters engaged with what looked like a white blur, while someone off to the side took shots with a maser-rifle at any who broke free from the skirmish. A glint of steel flashed and cut the top of ones head off above the muzzle, before suddenly sticking half an inch out of the back of ones throat an instant later. The blur moved, and what looked like a leg caught one in the chest and knocked it back, where it took several dozen shots from the maser and fell with its chest cavity blasted open. As Gordon raised his gun, the white blur leapt aside, allowing him and the mutants to open fire. The remaining three Gh-Ms hit the deck with dull thuds, all of them well and truly dead.

Gordon holstered his pistol and looked over in the corner, to see who exactly had been fighting. A group of maybe half a dozen bay workers sat huddled behind Suzaku Miyamoto, rifle still raised, panting heavily and bleeding from somewhere on the back of his neck. To his side stood Dolph, wiping the blood off of the large combat knife that was just now losing its white glow from the HF engine.

"So, looks like I was right after all." Gordon said with a tired smirk. "Don't think I've ever been so glad to be infiltrated."

Dolph looked at him apologetically, and made a low bow as he sheathed his blade. "That was never my intention sir. I'm only hear because Suzaku wanted me along. I'm done with that line of work."

"Suzaku? Dolph?" Himura said, coming up to see his two friends, Emily in tow.

"Musashi. Emily. Glad you could make it. You missed the party, but I guess that's a good thing." Dolph said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Himura, Eriksson." Suzaku managed between pants, dropping the rifle tiredly. "You took long enough to get here. Making me do all the work."

"Sir, what did you mean by what you said to Dolph?" Himura asked, looking right at Gordon.

"Heh. Kid, say hello to Russia mutant Zed Alpha Six, codename 'Weiss.' Russia's answer to M-Unit, though not exactly well known."

"Yeah, um, sorry about not telling you, but it's not something that comes up in casual conversation. 'Hey, I'm  
Dolph, nice to meet you. Also, I'm a retired mutant assassin secret agent. I can also cook a mean steak.'"

"Save the theatrics for later, would you?" Suzaku snapped, before looking at Gordon. "Sir, the Susanoo is primed and ready for launch. I took the liberty of activating all of its systems before those things showed up. It can be in the air in ten minutes."

"Heh, nice work kid." The admiral said with a grin, before barking at his men. "Alright, you heard the man. I want us topside and killing things in ten, move it!"

xxxx

Ozaki gunned the engines, launching the Gotengo full blast out of the underwater tube and into the air, maser turrets already locking on. As he looked at the monitor, the mutant commander was greeted with the sight of living hell. The city, what was left of it, was all pillars of smoke and raging fires, if not reduced to outright rubble and smoking craters. The signs of battle were everywhere, from masers, lasers, missiles, teeth, claws, and a dozen other weapons, most decidedly not human. He sailed over what could only be called a massacre, at least a dozen monsters of all sorts torn to bits or smashed into the ground. Judging by the bursts of green fire in the distance, he knew what had been the cause. He maxed out the thrusters, making top speed to where he knew was the last real hope for Japan.

He was there in seconds, and met with a worse sight than he had feared. The American Godzilla was there alright, engaged in battle with the red saurian. Worse by far was the sky above them, as sight that would have chilled him to the bone if he hadn't felt them all underground. As far as the eye could see, far into the distance and past the horizon, the sky was filled with Ghidorah, dozens of them from just what he could see. Even if this was a large group of them, the sheer number just here meant there had to be thousands, tens of thousands across the planet. They just floated in the air, cackling down at the fighting beasts, cackling with each blow they took, regardless which one it was.

Ozaki knew it wouldn't end well. Even if Godzilla survived fighting the red beast which didn't seem possible to kill, he would be far too exhausted to even hope to fight the circling dragons. Knowing there wasn't anything else to do but fight, he pushed his mind out at one beast while he angled towards the other, drill spinning up.

_Godzilla, if you can hear this, get back. I'll fight this one, you do what you can with the others. _

Apparently the black beast heard him, as it jumped away from a swipe from the red beast's tail, leaving him free to charge right at it. It dodged, the drill managing to scrape a line of armour off one arm. The machine flew past, avoiding a striking claw and a lancing tail, before circling up and around for another attack. He already knew a protracted fight would mean his death, so he put all his efforts into a single decisive kill. Even if the beast managed to escape again, it would take it out of the battle, and that would have to be enough. He charged past, managing to draw another line of plate off the monsters chest, its counter claw scraping a chunk of metal from above the engines. Knowing he couldn't afford to play it safe, Ozaki turned the Gotengo full 180, locked on to the monsters exact center, and fired the engines to full.

Time slowed as he closed in on it, Ozaki's kaiser senses taking in everything in inhuman detail. Even through the plates, he could see the muscles of the red kaiju contracting, expanding, its tail moving out at an angle. He saw the eyes narrow, the mouth pick up in a tiny grin, saw the legs pushing off the ground in such a way as to thrust it to the side. With a sinking realization, he understood he had made a critical mistake. The same attack wouldn't work on a creature this smart a second time: it had already planned out a counter to his move. He stood up and hoped back into his chair, bracing his legs and willing the machine to change angle just enough. The blade came from the side, slicing perfectly along the bow of the Gotengo, and he saw it slide clean through the metal with utter contempt for the human materials. Ozaki jumped up and forward as hard as he could, feet leaving the chair just as the edge of the golden blade cut right into the cockpit.

He watched in slow-motion as it passed under him, slicing into the chair just below the arms, shredding everything under that from its sheer size, the controls vanishing in a wave of sparks. He saw the end pass him, the time speeding up as he dropped, the blade clearing the entire bridge and cutting through the engines, the top clipped from the vessel like a snipped flower bud. He watched it lift up from the back, the entire thing rising up as he landed on the destroyed deck, leaping again as the tip of the bridge smashed into the deck, tore everything apart, and bounced off to land somewhere in the city. He was still in the air when the Gotengo's last-second trajectory took it sailing directly into a low-flying Ghidorah, digging straight through its hip and shredding the top of its leg. He hit again just as the main body started crashing through the flesh, kicking himself backwards and away from the Gotengo as the failing engines took on its last flight.

He hit just above the wound, pushed off the golden scales, and launched himself several hundred meters straight down. Bit of scrap from the Gotengo and flesh from the wound fell around him, and he leapt from chunk to chunk, scrap to scale, leaping from one to the other to lessen his momentum before he hit. He landed with a thud on a descending scale, and angled it to pick up just a bit of wind, riding it like the universes most awkward surfboard a short distance before it crashed into a rooftop. It skidded along, rattling his reinforced bones, and he leapt off just before it crashed through the railing and tumbled to the streets below. He rolled along the ground, smashing into the metal bars and nearly bending them from the impact, lying on his back and gazing through blurred eyes.

He watched as the Ghidorah howled, crashing to the ground in pain. He saw the Gotengo, kilometers away, the durable thing coming down in a thunderous crash, the impact blocked by the nearby husks of destroyed buildings. Ozaki let out a shuddering breath, glad that the old thing had managed one last score, before the pain from his landing sent his falling again, this time into unconsciousness.

xxxx

Nick sped forward as fast as he could, ridding the transformed NIGEL unit as fast as he could towards Godzilla. If he survived, he would need to thank Craven for the motorcycle mode, he wouldn't be alive if he was moving any slower. He'd only just made it out of the JSDF compound when he heard the rumble, saw the red monster take the transformed Padma girl away in a flash of light, saw the first of the monsters appear. He'd seen the aliens fall, saw the Ghidorah appear, saw all of the destruction. It had been less than 3 hours, and Tokyo was already a ruin. He rolled over a mound of rubble of what could have once been an office building, begging the machine to move just a little bit faster. He had to hurry.

He could feel it, like a beacon slowly fading, just ahead, just beyond that row of fallen buildings. He'd seen the Gotengo fly by, knew it had gone where he was going now, and hoped that it had provided just a few more minutes for him. Godzilla, his son, was losing, slowly but surely. He could feel every wound, ever blast, every time Godzilla bit down into unyielding scales and was knocked away. He ran right through the remains of a building, flying out a window to see a golden dragon fly down in an arc, coming away with bloody talons. He broke through a shattered wall, and beheld a terrible sight.

Godzilla was fighting, tooth and claw, tail and spine, blasts of fire catching everything that came close. He was bleeding all over, more red than black now, parts of his body singed badly, in places down to the bone. Entire chunks of his flesh had been ripped apart, and his left eye was missing. The Ghidorah circled, cackling, and one came down to attack. Godzilla roared, jumped to the side, blasted it full in the chest as it flew by. It came away without so much as a singed flake. He bit at its tail as it flew by, crunched down until his own jaw bent, came away with cracked teeth, his enemy completely unharmed. Nick watched his son, slowly, inevitably, being torn apart bit by bit, unable to so much as scratch his assailants.

It wasn't fare, it wasn't right, that the creature that had fought so many hundreds of battles in his life should be utterly defenseless now, powerless against these monsters who were toying with him like a pack of cats with a mouse. They didn't just kill him, though they could have at any time. They were literally torturing his son to death, and there was nothing Nick could do. His eyes filled with tears as one with four legs flew past, landing on Godzilla's back and stomping him into the ground, the breaking bones audible even from here.

Nick watched as Godzilla tried to rise, and was gripped by the neck in the talons of one of the creatures, the golden beast cackling as it sunk its blades into his already torn flesh. Another one flew down, sinking its claws into Godzilla's side and raking him down to the ribs. It cackled to itself, a horrific glee that made Nick utterly sick. It sank all three jaws into Godzilla's gut, and rose into the air, dragging the dying beast skyward in one final insult. His tail thrashed weakly, trying in vain to muster one last attack, and the one at his head began to pull. Nick could only watch as the larger one ripped open Godzilla's side, tearing his intestines out and stretching them between its jaws, blood flying from the wound in a cloud. It dug in its talons, and along with the one at the front, pulled. Its claws tore through the flesh, ripping through with the sound of shredding meat. The one at the neck had a tighter grip, and with one final cackle, wrenched Godzilla's head from his body, his spinal column the only thing keeping it attached as the demon let go. Godzilla just fell to the ground, eyes lifeless as he crashed into the rubble.

Nick felt a part of himself die, and could do nothing but scream in unbearable grief.

_"GODZILLAAAAAAA!" _

xxxx

Mara ducked the swinging blade, slammed her fists into her enemies side, and jumped back to avoid the blazing red beam. Heart Eater howled, firing her cannons even as she rushed forward, laughing madly as her blood-red blasts did their best to blow Mara to pieces. The cyborg was different from before, far more vicious yet clearly more focused, precise in every movement and with much more force behind them. The black metal almost seemed to smoke, a dark haze obscuring every action and making her twice as deadly. If Mara had fought as she had before, she would have been dead.

But she wasn't like before. Every obscured move came clear as day, as if she could sense them clearly. Her own actions were faster and stronger, and she could swear that each jump urged her to fly. She launched a sweeping kick to take out Heart Eater's balance, light seemed to cling to her leg and send out a blade that splashed against the far wall. The Eater came down at her with both blades and nearly cut her in half, Mara rolling underneath her. She spun around and slammed her fist into Eater's leg, sending her falling to one knee, but was herself forced to jump away from a return slash from a scything blade.

She couldn't keep fighting this battle. Even with her sudden boost in power, she simply wasn't strong enough to overcome the more experienced and deadly enemy she was facing. She leapt back from another twin blast of red, landed on the wall in a crouch, and unleashed a stream of golden fire from her mouth that swallowed Heart Eater and kept her to the wall from the sheer force of it. She blew until her throat burned, and fell to the ground in a crouch, watching as the fire faded and Heart Eater stood unharmed. The beast looked at her, six eyes swiveling to grin at her, and laughed.

"You have not the power to kill me, foolish child!" Heart Eater spoke, in a voice that reverberated with something evil. "I have waited far too long for this, I shall be here to witness this world die!"

Mara desperately thought to figure out what it was that was speaking to her, what it was that she felt compelled to kill. It came to her almost too easy, her own guiding will making the puzzle's answer obvious. In some stories, it was said that when Susanoo slew Orochi, the beast laid a curse on the sword the came from his body. That one day he would return through that sword, and through Susanoo's children's own blood would he be restored to destroy all that remained of the earth, and ascend into a god of hell. As Mara gazed on her foe, her eyes flashed with light, and the obfuscating haze vanished, showing her the truth.

"I see you now for what you are!" She said, rising to her feet and gathering light in her hand. "He who took the blade of Ikusagami and cast it into the darkness! I name thee Orochi, kin of Ghidorah, black demon who blighted this world ten thousand years ago!"

"So, the child knows us. Yes, and we know it. The stench on you is clear, you would kill us if you had the blade. But you hold only half the power, and you shall not have the rest!"

Heart Eater charged, a shadow like 8 swaying heads behind her, jaws extended to devour her very soul. She gathered the might of her ancient power, the fire of her gut and the wind of her breath, the water in her veins and the light in her mind. Against the shadow and the lightning in the monsters breath, the earth of its form and the venom of its veins, she gathered all her power to a single point, 8-fold strikes of the Way of Susanoo. Celestial Impact!

"I shall take your heart!" The 8 voices yelled, and the darkness plunged down on her.

Her hand lashed forward, her glowing fist cutting through the darkness. She felt it crumble beneath her, opened her hand, and gripped.

"Not if I take yours first." She said, and pulled the black heart free.

The darkness exploded in an 8-fold scream of wrath and hatred, the shadows vanishing, to reveal the broken Heart Eater, the red light fading from her eyes. Her heart beat in Mara's hand, the tainted sword visibly buried in the blighted flesh. She placed her fingers around the blade and pulled it free, and all at once the taint was gone. She held aloft the blade as it grew to its full size, a mighty thing even in her great hands, and the black metal fell away from Heart Eater, her own heart crumbling to dust. What remained on the ground was so much smaller, twice as large as a human and insectoid, shriveled by millenia of age and madness. She could not be considered beautiful by any human measure, but as Mara watched what had been freed from the Heart Eater fade away into a pile of dust, she hoped that she had peace at last.

Closing her hands around the blade, Mara raised it high, and felt the full power of Ikusagami fill her. Green turned to pure white, golden wings sprung up from her back, and the lotus on her chest changed into a burning star. She hefted the blade fully above her, and with a cry that reverberated with the fury of a god, she smote the great black doorway in half with a single stroke.

She felt weak then, her mortal form not enough to wield full the power of Ikusagami, and walked through the open door. There she stopped, stunned by the sight that awaited her. She gripped the blade, and knew what she must do.

xxxx

The world was burning. All across the globe, Ghidorah filled the skies, cackling in joy as the world below burned. In North America, the great cities were just barely holding up behind their shields, their defenders forced to hide. Everything not hidden behind a wall of light was blasted to ashes.  
Throughout Britain, the rain was black with soot and flowed into rivers of red. The knights had fallen to the last.  
Russia was silent, nothing but the flapping of massive wings and the stomps of a million metal soldiers marching towards every last outpost of humanity.  
China was on fire, their countless defenders still fighting back, thousands dying by the second.  
Africa had lost contact with every last one of its machines. The desert was a graveyard of blasted metal and charred bodies. The savannah was burnt, animals running in vain as jaws larger than an elephant devoured everything they could.  
Even the oceans teamed with chaos, golden bolts falling into the waves to attack what lurked beneath. Any Ghidorah that came to close to the surface risked massive tendrils, many miles long, rising up to grab at them, glowing yellow eyes watching them from the blackness. For all their terrible power, this army was not the first from the stars to come to the Earth, and it would not relent its hold so easily.  
Sam's blade was dripping blood, just as he was from his broken leg in the cockpit. He'd slain at least three of the monsters, but there were so many more. He watched another come at him, mouth gaping wide and blazing with light. He grit his teeth, let out a cry, and swung.

xxxx

The silver Ghidorah stood watching from the view-port, clouds of dust rising into the air as the greatest peak on earth was torn to rubble and tossed into the air. The mountain was nearly gone, huge clouds of dust rising into the sky, clearing the way for the return of Their lord. It grinned as it watched another million tonnes of solid rock picked up like a pebble and hurled into the sky, shattering into a billion pieces. It was almost time. He heard the footsteps, and turned to see Ikameijin walking towards It, falling to one knee just before the rise where They stood.

"My Lord, the Heart Eater's life signal has vanished from the ship. It appears the female dragon has escaped her containment."

"Hm, willful mortal. Go, she is no doubt weakened from her fight. The Eater has never been one to die without drawing blood. Find her, kill her, and bring me her heart. Do with the rest as you will. A reward for your service."

"As you say, my Lord." The cephalopoid said, rising and stalking from the chamber.

One more nuisance at the final hour meant nothing. It was far too late for anyone to stop this. It looked as the very base of the mountain was torn apart, rising into the sky and skittering like so many ashes in the wind. As the last of the peak gave way, the ground simply fell apart, and there beneath it was a vast mountain of ancient golden flesh, spines like jagged peaks rising up from the tremendous mass. As the flesh below shifted, a single red eye vast as a lake opening up to gaze into the sky after 250 million years, Ghidorah cackled long and loud all across the earth.

"Come, my lord. Prime Ghidorah, arise, and claim this world at last!"

xxxx

Himura sat in a chair in the bridge of the Susanoo, watching as the last of the lights turned green, signaling that the mighty weapon was ready to launch. He looked at those around him, only two dozen remaining in this room, the others spread about the ship. This was it, the final countdown to the fate of humanity. If the Susanoo failed, they would all die, and the earth along with them. He looked over at Gordon, sitting in the main chair, surrounded by Ozaki and Dolph, the two mutants running the psychic systems. The old man had never looked so grim as he did now. Suzaku sat on the opposite end of the room, running over the last figures to ensure full action the moment they were outside. Emily had gone into the bowls of the ship for whatever she was needed for, and he didn't know anyone else aboard. He would have to memorize all of their names if they survived. Doubly so for all the people who hadn't made it aboard. He watched as the screen flicked to an "Ok," watched as Gordon issued the order for full power to the engines, felt the 1,200,000 tonne monster of a machine begin to move, thrusters as large as the Gotengo blazing bright white. He watched the wall before them open, leading to a slanting dip that would take them into the ocean, and from their skyward to face what they would. The Gotengo's signal had been lost. They truly were the only ones left. Time to save the world or die trying.

xxxx

Gaonaga stared down at the human hunter, the valiant black beast torn and bleeding black at his feet. The Ghidorah circled above, cackling at the fallen warrior, an especially large four-legged one landing with a thud next to him, cackling at the dead thing.

"And so at last, this thorn in our side is gone forever." It said with three sneers, voice full of contempt at the human defender. "Well done Gaonaga, you are truly a wonderful tool. A good kill. Now go, find what remains of these pitiful creatures, and wipe them out."

Gaonaga just stared, wondering if that was what it meant to die for what you believed in; facing impossible odds and yet forging ahead regardless. Could such a glorious end even be compared for an eternity as a tool for monsters? No, he realized, or rather, had realized long ago and somehow forgotten. Such a death was its own reward, the fate of all warriors who fought for what they believed in, they fate that they desired. As he stared down at the decapitated husk, he realized that, broken and destroyed, lying in a growing pool of black fluid and seeming so small before the monsters that stood over it, this fallen one was a thousand times what he had allowed himself to become.

Gaonaga heard the words of the female in his mind, those words that weren't meant to taunt him, they had been meant to remind him of what he had always known. He had fallen, and could no longer call himself a warrior. An eternal life was nothing without pride, and as he gazed upwards into the skies swarming with dragons, he knew that she had been far more the warrior in her short life than he had been in his many thousands of years.

The gold blade flashed through the air, slicing through the neck of the one at his side, before turning and slashing upwards, bisecting the Ghidorah's head perfectly down the center. As the wings flapped to escaped, the blade drove down, cutting through the golden scales and burying itself in the monsters black heart. It fell sputtering to the ground, and the swarm turned to look at him, a hundred blood-red eyes boring into his very soul. He wrenched the blade free with a wet snap, and cleaned it by whiping the blood at the closest Ghidorah. He bent down, and picked up the Gotengo, spinning in his hands and pointing the drill into the air, holding it like a blade.

"Gaonaga, what madness is this!?" A gray one roared, teeth bared. "For all your countless insolence, to dare act up now, on the cusp of our greatest triumph! Have you gone mad!?"

"No, you sexless pieces of Grotvolj droppings, I've finally come to my senses!"

"You chose to join these mortals in death then!? You could have spent an eternity in glorious battle under our rule, but now you fight for an already lost cause! Think you this some pitiful act of good or some such insanity?" A green one cackled out, sneering down at him, mouths glowing gold.

"I don't fight for good." Gaonaga said, eyes starting to glow blue. "And I don't fight for evil."

He leapt into the air faster than it could react, sinking his claws into one neck and the Gotengo into another, slashing his tail through the last neck. With all his immeasurable strength, he tore the other two necks free, and the entire thing came crashing down. His grin had never been so wide.

"I just fight! The strongest are my foes, regardless of allegiance or purpose!" He gestured at the fallen Gotengo, his grin now splitting his face. "And seeing as how you've all gotten rid of everything else, that makes you the only good fight left, doesn't it!? Now come on! This is what I_**live for!**_ This is why _**I exist!**_ But all goods things come to an end. This is where warriors belong,** in the fight!** I hope you don't disappoint! _**Time to raise some hell!**_"

As the dragons descended, Gaonaga opened wide his jaws and roared, his body exploding with blue light, the ground shaking and rocks flying into the air. As he dashed into the air, spinning like a buzzaw and ripping a Ghidorah in half, Gaonaga roared. As he landed on the other side and gripped one by the foot, bringing it down to eviscerate it with his claws, Gaonaga roared. As the swarm of gold and silver, blue and brown, red and green and black descended on his with gnashing jaws and bolts of gold, Gaonaga roared. As he teleported away and blasted a dozen from the skies with a beam of pure white, Gaonaga roared.

As the talons pierced his body and he responded in kind, Gaonga roared.  
As teeth sank into his armour and pried it loose, Gaongaga roared.  
As golden bolts thundered against his hide, Gaonaga roared.  
As Claws and fangs drew crimson blood, Gaonaga roared.  
As flesh came free and demons screamed, Gaonaga roared.  
As the skies turned black from shadowed wings, Gaonaga roared.  
As all his sight was filled with red eyes filled with hate, Gaonaga roared.

Gaonaga means eternal roar. Gaonaga was eternal, and his roar was as his life. Gaonaga roared until the end.

Until he roared no more.

xxxx

Nick stood before the corpse of Godzilla, head resting against the closed and bloody jaw. He couldn't believe it. After every time that Godzilla had come so close to death, he had always come back, always won. But this one was just so...final, so utterly devoid of questioning it. As if just to mock his constant hope that Godzilla would always survive, reality had decided to literally tear apart him delusion in a single, unarguably clear moment. He couldn't bear to look at the rest of his son, his torn face and blasted features more than enough to tear at what remained in his heart. The world was going to die just like Godzilla had, and now there was no hope of stopping it. If only he'd made it in time, he could have-

Nick was torn from his musing by the sound of something clicking above his head. He looked up to see Godzilla's mouth moving, almost imperceptibly, but it was. In spite of the terrible, terrible damage he'd taken, Godzilla still clung, if only just, to life. He couldn't roar or groan, disconnected from his lungs as his head was, but still, through blinded eyes he looked out at the world, and Nick could feel his mind, like a candle in a storm, holding on with the last ounce of his will. Nick cried at the state of his son, before his eyes grew focused and resolute, and he ran to the NIGEL.

_Nick, I need you to promise me. You can't use this unless there's no other choice. Only use this if either you or Godzilla has no other option to survive, no, it it's the only hope for the world. This device will certainly reveal us, and if people know you have it, they'll do anything to take it for themselves. So I need you to promise me, swear on everything you love, that you'll never use this unless there's no other hope. Can you do that for me, please Nick? _

He keyed in his code into NIGEL, the machines center cavity coming apart and revealing a small black box. He pressed his hand against it, micro-sensors scanning his DNA, hand-print, and pulse, making sure that not only was it his hand, but that it was still attached to his body. The box turned slightly, the top unfolding in 4 places, revealing the device within. Nick picked it up, placed it on his ear, and turned to Godzilla.

There was no other option now, nothing other hope. Godzilla was alive purely on the virtue of his regenerative cells, and those wouldn't last long separated from the heart. If this failed, he'd die alongside Godzilla, but honestly, that was how he'd prefer it. He wouldn't probably never see Audrey again, never see his children or grandchildren, never see Mendel and Elsie or Randy and Monique. But if this failed, they'd all be killed anyway, if they weren't already. No, even if this succeeded, it might not make a difference.

But none of that mattered any more, so Nick looked at Godzilla, pressed the button on the side of the device, and said the activation phrase.

"DNA-merger sequence, engage!"

xxxx

Ikameijin came upon the hall where the female had killed Heart Eater. Reduced her to dust it seemed. Impressive, he could see why his lord wanted whatever power the female had. He stepped past the great shattered doorway, another impressive feat from the mortal, but also a telling one. He saw her at the far side of the room, past the statues of his lords greatest conquests, the stone forms of all It's greatest foes. All of them had fought, long and hard, each proving near a match for his lord. And of course, all of them had died, what husks remained entombed beneath their likeness. Some were little more than ash or shards of bone; all that remained from the vicious battles.

The female was swinging madly at a chunk of crystal containing the most recent of these victories, a beast from this very world if he remembered right. She swung her sword with loud yells, clearly exhausted from her efforts, cleaving away large chunks of crystal with each blow. He wasn't sure where she had gotten that blade, she hadn't had it when she had arrived. Perhaps that was how she killed Heart Eater, a trick and a hidden weapon. Ah well, it didn't matter.

He raised his one good arm, the other still a bit weak from being regrown, and his gravity powers smashed into her from behind. She slammed into the crystal hard, and slid down it with a groan. As she made to rise, he brought her down again, crushing her under a 100x the normal gravity of the ship. He walked up to her, grinning, and grabbed her by the throat, leering down at her with a jagged grin.

"So, the little worm disregards my lords generous hospitality, leaves her guest quarters, kills one of our lords favorite pets, and now seeks to deface his most prized museum of personal accomplishments? What a reckless child you are, so ill-mannered. To think, you would have been granted the rare honor of surviving your worlds destruction, and yet you throw such hospitality back in the face of our lord. Such poor behavior, such an uneducated child. I don't know how such a weak thing as you managed to make it so far, but that ends now." He said as he slammed her into the ground, stomping on her neck.

She gasped for air, but he just pressed harder, chuckling to himself.

"Now now, no use struggling. You have imposed enough on my lords home, and I'm afraid you've spent all his kindness. Now I'm going to have to kill you, rip out your heart, and present it to lord Ghidorah, but not before I feed the rest of you to the animals in the pens. Such starved creatures, I doubt even your bones will remain. Such is the fate of those that defy Ghidorah! Such is the fate of-ack!"

He suddenly found an incredibly strong grip on his throat, and looked up to see the suddenly very large face of the beast in the crystal looking right at him. A blue glow ran over it, and the stasis cage exploded in a shower of crunching glass. The burning red-gold eyes looked at him, and the beast lifted him into the air.

"You talk too much." Godzilla said, before popping his head like a grape.

Godzilla pulled himself free of the last of his prison, shaking his head and watching the noisy thing drop to the ground with everything above its neck pulped. He remembered now. 15 years of imprisonment, of dreamless sleep and unknown thoughts, of having his mind filled with the laughter of his captor and the memories of his long lives. His eyes settled on the thin form of the one who had freed him, collapsed barely conscious on the ground, looking up at him with human eyes through a cracked visor. Of course a human had freed him, when was it ever not? He picked her up with ease, tossing her over his shoulder, taking just enough care to make sure he didn't damage her any more than she had been.

"Now then, where was I?" He thought, the last memory before his capture coming into his mind. Yes, he knew what he was going to do. His eyes glowed bright, blue fire burning in his spines, across the golden horns on his head and shoulders, an orb of pure power flashing in the clawed end of his tail. After 15 years, he was free, he was awake, and he was very, very angry.

_**"GHIDORAAAAAAAAH!"**_


	27. Chapter 26

I don't own any of this, but dammit I wish I did. Godzilla and all related properties are owned by **Toho Co., Ltd. **Kaiju Combat is owned by Sunstone Games. Everything else is owned by its respective companies.

* * *

Ghidorah watched with unmatched glee as a ripple of gravity spread over the mountain-range like a great breath, cracking stone and blasting snow in a visible shockwave rolled outwards from the destroyed Everest crater for hundreds of kilometers. The land was torn apart in the massive wave, millions of tonnes of earth hurled at several times the speed of sound as far as the eye could see. A second ripple ran through the world, his lords breathing coming in large bursts from millions of years trapped beneath the range. Hundreds of kilometers away, a mountain exploded, a sign of his lords waking. It would not be long now.

The ship shuddered suddenly, something that made Ghidorah's eyes widen. That was impossible, this vessel was a Ghidoran mothership, nothing short of a stars gravitational pull could budge it from its decided orbit! A second rumble rocked the ship, the window generating a readout of all sectors, and It realized with confused understanding that it wasn't the entire ship moving: whatever was causing it was moving, and getting closer. A third shake registered in the adjacent chamber, and a damage readout indicated that either it was very big, or very powerful.

The wall exploded inward with such violence that pieces lodged themselves in the far wall and ceiling. Through the cloud of dust were two glowing eyes, red-gold and locked directly on Its silver form. Ghidorah scoffed, it seemed that the mortal had freed one of Their experiments. How incredibly inconvenient. Not only would did it seem the Ikameijin had failed and They would need to kill the female Themselves, but now they would need to clean up this mess _and_ waste an experiment as well. This is what happened when one left affairs to lesser beings. Disappointing, but predictable. It charged and fired It's gravity beams, the golden bolts lancing into the things body.

The beams faded, and Ghidorah realized with a small start that the creature hadn't dropped dead, or even to the ground in pain. It didn't remember any experiments that could do that. When the beast stepped forward, Ghidorah experienced a moment of genuine shock, and for the first time in 15 years, actual fear. Walking out of the dust was Godzilla, looming larger than ever, seeming huge despite Ghidorah standing half again as tall as him. The golden spines and large horns spoke of the Ghidorah cells in his body, but the rest of it gave subtle hints into the myriad of DNA that suffused its form from over a dozen separate lifeforms, including the accursed Mothra. So much power filled the saurian that blue fire was rising from his back like an aura, and his entire body seemed lit from within. Everything about it was an affront to Ghidorah down to the cellular level, but worst of all was the gaze. Pure hate, pure wrath, and it made the King of Terror afraid.

"Impossible. You cannot be free, nothing could destroy that prison!" The silver dragon roared, utterly unbelieving. The crystal prison could have fallen into an exploding star and remained intact.

"Well, add that to the list of things you're wrong about. You can put it right after thinking you could _imprison me_, or maybe where you thought that doing so wasn't a _BAD IDEA!_"

The aura of fire exploded outward, Godzilla's entire body blazing with blue fire, deep red flames pouring from his eyes. There was no doubt that the power in the saurian's body was beyond measure, holding all the power and abilities from all who's cells infused his own. But Ghidorah knew he would never use them, never dig through the earth with ease or unleash beams from his eyes, never fly through the air or breath clouds of acid. He wouldn't use them from pride, and he didn't need them through power. Ghidorah roared, unleashing gravity bolts into his most hated enemy, triple beams of gold washing over black flash like streams of water. Godzilla didn't roar, didn't charge or jump or dodge. He just took a step forward, then another, not even flinching from the bolts that crashed against him. Ghidorah breads its wings and unleashed a dozen more bolts from the tips. Its eyes flashed and sent bolts of red to join the gold, over 20 beams firing from its body to crash against Godzilla. He just took another step, the flames roiling about his body. Ghidorah unleashed its full power with a cackling roar, its entire front glowing gold and unleashing dozens of bolts at Godzilla like a living storm. As the light faded, Ghidorah stood hunched over and twitching from the effort, while Godzilla stood directly in front of it, looming despite his shorter height.

"My turn."

His arm moving just below a blur, white claws flashing, Godzilla swiped at Ghidorah. With a screech, the silver dragon fell back, its front cleaved apart and spraying gold blood into the air, crashing against the window and shattering it. Ghidorah slumped down, utterly torn apart by the single swing. But it was long beyond normal measures of survival, and rose into the air to float before the shattered window. Despite the blood flowing from its mouths, Ghidorah just grinned, cackling its horrid cackle.

"Even you are too late, worthless beast. Your world burns, and our lord rises! For all your fury, you are nothing now. In mere moments, our lord shall wipe this rock clean, and there is nothing you can do to prevent it! You've lost, Gojira, now _die_ with your world!"

"I don't die." Godzilla said, and tackled Ghidorah out of the window, bursting through its body in a spray of blood as his charge tore it to pieces.

He fell down through the clouds and dust, away from the small moon in orbit above the world. As he fell, he looked down, and watched as the mountains below him exploded, the entire spine of the world crumbling to dust as something rose up from within. The earth surged and flowed away, hill-sized chunks rolling away like grains of sand. A golden head flecked with blue and black rose up from where it lay, a red eye large enough to make even Godzilla seem small gazing up at him. For a thousand kilometers, to the very end of the range the earth swelled and broke apart. A second range of scales pushed up from the dust, worn of colour from countless ages, but seeming to drink the light of the sun itself to regain lost life. A single great head sat before him, and fora moment, Godzilla couldn't believe it was a Ghidorah at all. But then he looked a hundred miles past, and saw a thousand heads writhing about the base of its neck, a forest of swaying necks and gnashing jaws. Halfway through his fall, the head rose up to meet him, 200 kilometers above the shattered earth below.

With a jolt, Godzilla stopped descending, held aloft by a field of sparkling gravity. The behemoth head turned to the side, and the eye came around to gaze at him, the great gold pupil filling the entire sky before him. The Prime Ghidorah gazed down at Godzilla, and spoke in a voice the shook the world.

"At last, I taste the light and behold the feast once more. And my offspring bring to me he who has been chosen as my foe. Tell me child, are you prepared to face your end before the gaze of the gods?"

Godzilla struggled, willing himself to at least float upright, and glared into the center of the sea of gold. A smirk split his face, and the fire rose again along his form.

"Heh, I've always wanted to kill a god."

xxxx

Nick was swimming with power. Pain filled his veins with black fire. He could smell and taste everything, scents he never could have imagined. The light was even different, colours he didn't know existed painting a blasted world more vibrantly than the lushest jungle he'd ever seen. He felt himself reborn, flesh healing and bones mending, neck sliding back into place. He'd never felt so light as when he picked himself up and stood straight, the world so much smaller yet so much fuller. He looked with red-orange eyes at the sky filled with circling dragons, red eyes looking at him with confusion and a touch of fear. He grinned, opened his mouth, and roared.

"_Skreeeeoooonk!_"

The dragons actually recoiled at that, and a very large part of himself grinned at making the celestial beasts feel terror. His mind worked, analyzing them with a lifetime of experience spent tearing creatures apart. Every muscle twitch, every thin point of scales, every joint that could be broken, ever eye or mouth that could be boiled with fire, taking them apart piece by piece with his mind alone. He picked his target, not the closest but the smallest, and he moved.

He pounced and crossed the distance before any of them could react, a tiny crack at the back of his mind indicating he'd broken the sound barrier, and yet hadn't created a sonic boom. Odd, he'd have to think of that a bit later. For now, he just watched as he closed the distance, angled slightly in mid air, slamming both feet into the Ghidorah and kicked off towards another. He moved his claws, finally able to use them in a method he'd imagined over a decade ago now that his body was humanoid enough for it to work. He met the greenish beast dead on, swung his claws at the perfect moment, and emerged on the other side, a hole bored right through the dragon. He landed on the ground shortly before the demon crashed behind him, missing most of its torso.

He turned, golden bolts crashing over his body, knocking him back. He felt the pain, but simply didn't care, sending a stream of blue fire into the Ghidorah and pushing it away. He ducked an attack from behind, twisted where he stood, and sent a kick fully straight up and into its gut as it passed. It sailed tail over head and smashed into the ground in a shower of dust, and he dashed forward, tackling it as it rose, planting his hands into its back and twisting his claws to tear apart the muscles along its shoulders. It screamed, he pushed himself up and away, and landed just in time to take another 9 gravity beams to the chest. He fell back, rolled, came back onto his feet, launched a number of fireballs at the attacking dragons. They flinched, not really wounded but disoriented from the strength of the projectiles, and he jumped.

Claws raking through necks on either side of him, a spinning kick that caught one and carried it crashing into the other, a tail whip that flung them away. He watched them sail slowly, each particle of dust clear to him. He felt so very at peace, even as more beams blasted his side and sent him tumbling through the rubble. His mind was quick, more than either had ever been, his senses perfect, his hunting flawless, his strength glorious. He was larger than before, not just from his new stance or new body, but simply bigger, 10 or 20% so, maybe more. It didn't really matter. He ducked more blasts, charged across the kilometers distance in the blink of an eye, sunk his teeth into ones leg, tasted blood, tossed it away with a blast of fire that singed brown scales. Something bit his leg, he twisted, dislocated its jaw, kicked it hard enough in the chest to leave an imprint. He felt more jaws on him, ripping at his side, another pair at his throat.

All at once, he broke from his zen, the memories of the last few hours and the merger returning, the pure finality of his life leaking away and the utter anguish of not being able to save him. His peace became rage, and the jaws around his neck snapped lick twigs as his muscles grew larger, as everything else grew smaller. He roared, felt himself tighten, thicken, become more focused yet so much bigger. He looked at the dragons, and realized he was looking _down_ on them, towering over them. He growled, and they stepped back, his eyes burning with white light as his body peaked. Twice as large at least, more-so than his normal self, his increased strength more still. In one fleeting moment, all the pain and rage boiled over and became a terrible calm, and a burst of green swept out and blasted everything away in a massive pulse. He reared his head back, and roared long and loud, to let all those who would face him know they came to their death.

xxxx

The Susanoo thundered out of the ocean with an explosion of water, the leviathan machine clearing it in seconds and rising into the air. The vertical thrusters kicked on, raising the tremendous machine into the air and into position over the ocean. If something happened and the weapon detonated on earth, they were going to make sure it was as far from civilization as possible. The defensive turrets automatically targeted the hundreds of fighters swarming the air, and dozens of blue beams shot into the sky and began tearing the aliens apart.

They were all that was left. All JSDF signals had been lost, and long range com satellites had all been knocked out of orbit, leaving connection with the rest of the world cut off. For all they knew, there could be no one left, the entire world wiped out in a single day. Gordon didn't give a damn. If this was a pointless mission, they were at least going to take as many of these invading bastards with them as they could. 20 kilometers out, 5 above the sea, the flying fortress slowed to a halt, and the back unfolded. A cannon near half the length of the machine rose up, angling towards the sky.

"Targeting largest cluster of enemy ships." Called someone working the relevant computers. "Eighty seven point six one six degrees by two point one one five degrees. Distance, two hundred thirteen kilometers."

"Power set to eighty two percent, diameter estimated at seventy two kilometers."

"All non-relevant systems going offline, timespace containment activating."

"Dimensional Tide field engaged, antimatter reaction set."

"Reactor within green levels, maser arrays seven through thirteen shutting down to prevent interference."

"Time from fire to impact: one point three three seconds. Full annihilation of targets within three point two nine seconds."

"Atmospheric disturbances at point zero zero two one percent: within safe levels."

"Sir, all systems primed and online, ready to fire." Called Suzaku, keying in the final bits of data.

"Very well. Godslayer cannon, prepare to fire." Gordon called, watching as an extraordinarily complex targeting reticule accounted for every possible interference and ensured 100% accuracy. "Susanoo, fire!"

There was no sound as it fired but the blast of displaced wind as a vacuum was drawn from their position on earth to near the moon, a solid line of black filling the distance. White line spun around it in bent spacetime, shattering just about every law of physics there were. A second moon appeared in the sky, a pinprick of starlight as the antimatter reaction expanded in space, stopped by a perfect sphere of black distortion around it. Even so far from earth, they couldn't risk letting the containment fail to try and take out more ships, lest the reaction warp back down to earth. The long-range sensors watched as the signals from the alien ships suddenly grew a large hole in the center of the fleet.

The bridge remained silent as the signals vanished, just one tiny hole in a web of thousands more. Less than 2% of the enemy had been lost from that. Gordon glared, and began shouting orders.

"Get us back up and firing asap, I want more ships gone before the next time I blink!"

As the room immediately began working towards getting the Godslayer firing again, a beeping filled the room.

"Sir, we have a distress signal." Shouted Suzaku, holding what looked like a personal com device. "It is Mara. She is alive aboard the enemy mothership."

"And what are you suggesting we do about that? We can't afford to abandon our position for one person, no matter what."

"Sir, we have several fighters aboard, let me go and retrieve her. If she's sending the signal, it means she's in human form, and that the ship is somehow exposed. Please sir!"

"Do you even know how to fly a seven two seven kid? Or think you can get there in time before we have to shoot it out of the sky?" Gordon barked, knowing that he needed everyone they had here.

"-ir, I'll go." Came a buzzing voice over a com channel.

"Ozaki!? You're alive down there?"

"Yezzz-ir, I c-ke it if I-one pilo-it. Send m-the f-er, I woul-e much u-p there anywa-."

Gordon made a decision instantly. Ozaki was a soldier, and the Susanoo was too complex and dangerous to use or risk a psychic command system. Ozaki would be wasted up here, and without the Gotengo, he wouldn't be fighting any more Ghidorah. Considering how well the last rescue mission had gone, and the fact that Gordon was too old to go himself, he knew the choice was obvious.

"Asada, launch the SX-nine! Send it to Ozaki's position now, get him airborne!"

xxxx

Mara sat slumped in the titanic doorway, feeling tiny as she was now, relying solely on everything else being gone or missing her for her survival. She couldn't keep using the Ikusagami power, she was too tired to withstand it and there wasn't time to get acclimated to it. So here she sat, entirely human, utterly defenseless, hoping that her act in freeing Godzilla had made the difference they needed. She couldn't even risk looking out the massive window to see how he was doing or what he was facing, the wind would have blown her back of sucked her out in seconds, and she doubted she could survive either.

So there she sat, waiting for the world to either be saved or destroyed, and she'd probably only know if this ship came falling from the sky. She hoped that Suzaku had gotten her signal, though even then she probably wouldn't be rescued. If they were smart, they'd use whatever weapons they had and blow this ship to oblivion.

She closed her eyes, and waited.

xxxx

Godzilla flew forward, gold light streaking behind him as he charged at the beast that made even him seem tiny. He finally knew how the humans felt all the time. No wonder they always tried to kill him. He opened his mouth, charged up his power, and fired a blue beam that drew a line up the beasts neck. He couldn't even tell if it felt it, let alone taken any damage. He shot his hand forward, an orb of red burning in his palm, and unleashed a tremendous roaring blast of fire at the golden scales, the titanic blaze large enough to boil a mountain. Again, the Ghidoran Lord didn't even seem to notice, and he could swear those rumbles that shook even the air were it chuckling at him. His hand shot forward again, a line of air with enough force to grind diamond apart firing out, blasting against the demons hide and exploding outwards in a dozen tornadoes. All he did was clean the single scale the wind swept over.

Godzilla grimaced, and couldn't help but chuckle at how impotent his power was. He really had to hand it to humans. If this was how they felt every time he showed up, he had to respect that they never gave up. This was infuriating, and at the same time, honestly rather refreshing. He'd always wondered what it was like to be completely powerless and faced with an impossible challenge. Know he knew.

He flew up around the side of one mammoth head and roared, a sonic attack enough to blow apart flesh rippling with green waves washing over the scales. It leaned its head sideways and crashed how many trillions of tonnes of flesh into his body, breaking every bone and sending him flying away so fast his flesh tore itself apart. He recovered in midair, already fully healed, and began gathering power for another attack. Thrusting his tail forward like a spear, a lance of lighting with the force of a hundred storms blasted the leviathan full wrought, the crackling like flowing along the scales and just making them seem more resplendent than ever. He reared his head back and unleashed a cloud of acid onto the scales, but again, they remained perfect. His eye twitched. He was just cleaning this damn thing. Not being strong enough, he could take, but he'd be damned if all his efforts just made his enemy look _better_!

Throwing all limbs wide, Godzilla called on the power of his most tenacious enemy and valiant ally, wings sprouting from his back, a silver armour rising in segmented plates to cover his entire form, snapping shut over his maw. Hundreds of beams blasted forth from his form, splashing over the Ghidorah like a brilliant hail. It just looked at him with amused eyes, opened its mouth, and let out a gold beam as vast as the greatest river, caught him like a pebble in a tidal wave, and smashed him into the ground in an explosion like a thousand nuclear bombs. The explosion created an earthquake that shook the entire continent, blasting the already damaged earth with another irreparable scar. Godzilla lay in a crater a dozen kilometers wide, his front blasted open into a smoking ruin.

Lesser Ghidorah descended on him like vultures, eager to feast on his flesh and devour the only one left standing in their way. As the first one sank its fangs into him, his eyes flashed open and he caught it by the throat. He might be outmatched by their lord, but he wasn't about to let scavengers of all things be his end. He squeezed the neck with so much force that it not only exploded, but rippled throughout the entire body and blew it apart. He rose with a roar that left them deaf, and unleashed a massive red pulse that filled the entire crater and boiled the earth to a molten red. The Ghidorahs fell to the ground, bodies blacked to soot, burned to ashes down to their very cells. A blue light burned in Godzilla's gut, and the force gathering was so great it blew away the ashes and dust.

"You think you can take what I've got!? Then take it! _Take it all!_"

With a burst of power so great it created a pulse exceeding the one before it, a dragon of blue fire exploded from his gut, flying like a lightning bolt across the distance, and struck the Prime Ghidorah in the chest. If it had struck the earth, the nuclear power would have bored through the bedrock and destroyed the very core. If it had fired into space, it would have traveled for a billion miles before exploding bright enough to outdo the stars. If it had struck the moon, it would have carved a hole visible from earth. As it struck the dragon, it didn't move, didn't react, simply took Godzilla's full fury head on, caught it in a web of golden light, and snuffed it out like a candle. A fury unmatched by the worlds nuclear arsenal sputtered and went out like a match in the wind. Ghidorah stared at him, a thousand heads swaying with amusement, a low cackle that was still shook the air and sent Godzilla crashing to his knees. The power of ages had done no more than a raindrop.

Godzilla laughed. He laughed long and hard, his roar echoing through the shattered mountains and rolling far into the distance. This was what it meant to be powerless, totally outmatched in every way. The King of the Monsters, broken in the ground like a rat. Always the strongest, always invincible, never fearing destruction, or death, or opponent. To be fearless, to be immortal, to be the pinocle of all things. That is what it meant to be Godzilla. And now he saw the unfounded arrogance of that compared to the fury of creatures far more ancient and infinitely more powerful. And with that crushing realization, Godzilla could only choke out one thing.

"Wonder how long before I'm that strong? Heh, well, now I have to find out."

He looked up at the titan before him, a true god of monsters, and grinned.

"Yeah, you are strong! Damn strong! And normally, my pride wouldn't allow me to do this! But pride can go fuck itself, I can't stand looking at those smug faces of yours!" He cried out in a laughing tone, opening his left hand and pressing it against his chest. "So let's see what happens when mortals defy the gods, _shall we!_"

He pressed down on the shining metal star that molded against his chest, and felt his very bones explode with light. His flesh glowed bright gold, the armour stripping itself away, his body turned into light and something greater than before. A pillar of pure white fired into the sky, piercing through space and blasting apart the alien ships in orbit. The light expanded, bigger and bigger, waves rushing outward and bolts of red lighting firing into the sky, until the entire thing exploded in a shower of stars. In its place stood a giant of white and black armour, golden blade-wings rippling with the colours of a thousand rainbows opening wide from its back. Runes of red ran along its limbs and down its tail, which ended in a ball of golden fire shaped like massive sword. A crown of horns like wings sprouted from its armoured head, and a golden sun with streaks of blue rested in the center. The open face of Godzilla looked at the behemoth from 6 kilometers above the world, and grinned. Still dwarfed, but much more even for his tastes.

"Now, round two."

* * *

**NirvanaFrk97**: Yes, this story could have had more Godzillas. As you can see, that would have been going too far.

**GFan1**: Yes, yes it is weird. That's why I kept it. I like it being weird and awkward; seems suitably alien.


	28. Chapter 27

The dust had all been blown away. The storming rainclouds circled overhead, pouring down on the titan of white and black as he looked up at his enemy. The leviathan dragon was above even the clouds, looking down on him in amusement at the transformation. Even 60 times his normal size, Godzilla was still a gnat compared to the godly dragon, smaller than its fangs. But size didn't matter here. Godzilla could feel the power surging through him, an incredibly large amount of power like nothing he'd ever felt in all his lives. This is what it meant to be a god, not the foolish title the mortals had stuck on him, but a true god of overwhelming might. He looked up at the towering monster before him and grinned. "This is going to be fun."

Godzilla jumped with all his might, and found himself suddenly flying past it and over its back. He willed himself to stop, and turned just in time to take a full blast from a dozen of the writhing heads. It knocked him back slightly, the armour sizzling, but he recovered easily enough, and unleashed a burst of golden light from one hand that blasted the back of the titanic Ghidorah. It didn't even flinch, but the singed scales were sign enough. He could finally hurt this thing. And hurt it he would.

He charged into its back, slamming against it with enough force to crack a mountain, succeeding it damaging a few scales. He jumped upwards and fired forward in a ball, smashing into Ghidorah's neck like a cannonball. The dragon roared, twisted full around on its sinuous neck, and unleashed a blast of fire like an exploding volcano into Godzilla. The force blasted him a hundred kilometers away where he crashed into the ocean like a meteor. He recovered swiftly, rising in a great swirl of water. It closed around him in the shape of a dragon, and he fired himself back at the alien lord. Thinking to test his abilities a little, Godzilla waited until he was just about to hit it, before freezing the dragon solid. Ten billion tonnes of solid ice crashed into Ghidorah's side at several times the speed out sound, and actually managed to push it slightly. Before he could launch another attack, a hundred golden bolts came from the side, grabbing his body in a gravity field and lifted him higher into the air. The light crackled across his armoured form, doing its best to tear his insides apart with gravitational forces. With a roar of effort, Godzilla exploded with light, shattering the beams hold and firing a golden sphere larger than he was into Ghidorah's side in a mighty explosion. The dragon grunted, and a shadow fell over Godzilla as a hideous mass of warped tail came down on him and crushed him into the ground. It lifted up, carrying entire hills like specks of dust, before slamming into him again. The third time, it stopped just short, caught in Godzilla's grip. With a roar, he pushed it back, sending the entire beasts skidding back slightly.

Charging forward, Godzilla slammed into its chest, unleashing a series of slow but exceedingly powerful blows that nearly sent Ghidorah skidding back again. The titan dug its claws in, breathed out, then breathed in and puffed its chest out, the kilometers of expanding flesh knocking Godzilla away, and straight into its sight. Massive red bolts flew from its eyes and struck him, suspending him in utter agony. Godzilla just grit his teeth and spread his wings, dozens of meteor shots of light spilling out and exploding across Ghidorah's front. The dragon kept its beam and Godzilla kept him rain, until eventually both of them were forced to relent from the pain. Ghidorah looked down at him with a thousand smiles, cackling despite the damage.

"You are strong indeed, little guardian. Your might is no less than the beast I faced before, but in a far more agreeable form. I can sense a portion of Us within you, but it does not rule you. Your will is as strong as your body."

Rearing back, Ghidorah's sides exploded, rippling and tearing as it jutted outwards grotesquely. Wings large enough to blot out the sun for hundreds of kilometers extended outwards, crackling with golden light. Ghidorah looked at him, and seemed to glow brighter.

"So I will need to break both."

With a flap of immeasurable wings and the sound of gravity being bent to its will, the Ghidorah began to rise into the air, cackling as it rose higher and higher. Godzilla roared, and began charging the fires in his gut to launch an attack to stop it. Before he could, the entire length of the monstrous demon glowed bright gold, and an absolute storm of gravity bolts, many thousands of them, fell from its body and raked the land where Godzilla was standing. The resulting chain of explosions tore a gaping scare in the world, magma boiling up from bellow and spilling out in slow-forming lakes. The resulting crater dug kilometers into the ground, the area blasted and warped into an image of literal Hell on Earth. The nightmarish beast floated in the sky, cackling at the damage it had done. several hundred million years of captivity left one somewhat starved for entertainment, and it was enjoying itself as only a Ghidorah could.

In the center of the crater, in a pool of molten earth, Godzilla rose from the lava, armour blacked and warped in places. The light was still gathering in his mouth, streams of energy spilling in from the air around him. Blue, then red, then gold, then every colour one could imagine and a thousand one couldn't, before at last it was waves of pure white light gathering from the very edges of the crater unto Godzilla's glowing maw. He opened his mouth, an orb of light like a budding star blazing in his mouth, and then he fired. The nuclear blast exploded outwards in a screeching roar that shattered stone and blasted away the lava, rings of nuclear pulses firing outwards in rippling rays of fury. The stream of light impacted Ghidorah from below, and pushed the several quadrillion tonne monster up, up, literally moving the titanic beast up and out of Earth's gravity. The beast roared in surprise and pain, shoved out of the atmosphere and through its fleet of ships, before smashing back first into the moon.

Godzilla ended the beam with a grunt of pain, his throat torn and burnt from so much power being unleashed. Damn but that felt good!

x

Gordon watched from the bridge of the susanoo as something that could only be described as Earth's worst nightmare sped rose into the sky from almost beyond the horizon, and unleashed a storm of golden hell he swore he could feel from there. He didn't think that he would ever get that image out of his mind, assuming they lived long enough for that to matter. Then, as the storm broke and the ocean below them stopped churning quite so violently, something his the monster and lifted it up and away from the planet, firing it away at incredible speeds. He watched as the alien signals vanished and half their central satellite network vanished, and followed with zoomed visuals as the monster impacted against the moon.

Gordon looked around for something to drink, remembered where he was, and cursed every person who had ever promoted him to rot in the bowls of hell for putting him here.

x

He watched the beast fly into the darkness of space, feeling the light of the beam that sent it there even from here. He knew that power, he had seen it before, even felt it once. It had nearly killed him then. He remembered waiting nearby as he healed, watching with worry as he lay dying, never sure if he would survive or be left all alone without himself. But he was here, of course he was, standing in the ruins of Tokyo and fighting to save the world. And as he sank his fangs into another Ghidorah, he had never felt so alive.

So why did it hurt?

x

Godzilla roared, feeling the full mastery of his power rushing through him. It was glorious, intoxicating, almost overwhelming. But it was his, his to control, and it felt so good.

"You have done well Gojira." A voice said from behind him.

He wheeled around to see the moth, that damnable moth, floating so small in front of him in sudden blackness.

"Mothra. What is this, where am I?"

"Earth. The mind of Earth."

He looked around, and couldn't hep but grunt. "It's a bit empty."

"Yes, the Earth is sleeping now. It has been wounded too deeply. It may not survive this, even should you defeat Ghidorah."

"When I defeat Ghidorah." He growled out, glaring at the comparatively tiny moth.

"Nothing is certain, and Ghidorah is not weak. You carry the will of the planet with you, but it has failed before."

"Explain it simply, bug. I've tolerated your riddles before, now be straight with me. What do you mean, 'the will of the planet?'"

"It is as I say. You are the inheritor, Gojira. The age of Mothra is over, we have failed too many times, and so our will was passed to you when you took our essence within you. The same holds true for all of the guardians resting in you. You are the last of earth's choices, but such is our fate that you would hold our life in your hands."

"I wasn't chosen by anything, bug! I do what I desire, my will is my own!"

"You were born of the Earth like all creatures, forged by the fires of mankind into its destructor. But they destroyed you, and when you rose again you lost your hatred. You took the mantle of protector upon yourself, claiming the title of defender. Your spirit suffused the planet, giving birth to more of you, your very essence spreading to new life. The second you slumbered in silence, and you gave birth to a hateful beast who's arrogance made it desire to rule alone, feasting on the fires of man. That you created a second who would be its family, to stave off the loneliness inherent in standing alone at the pinnacle. Then you died, and your spirit infused the younger, who is you, and you desired the destruction of all. Even when the humans sealed you, your fury mutated your second self, who's good spirit kept your malice at bay until the humans sought his destruction. When he was defeated by the first, he returned to what he once was and absorbed the first black soul. He came to fight alongside you after you were granted freedom. His spirit, and that of all of your kind, now rests within you, and it is this spirit that now inherits the might of Mothra, of Gigamoth the first, and the will of ancient humanity Ikusagami. All of us who faced Ghidorah are gone, and you remain. I suppose that speaks of your power, doesn't it?"

"Hmph, don't try and flatter me, bug. But I get it. I always wondered why I never just wiped those humans out entirely. I guess the Earth wanted them around, huh?"

"They are the Earth's children, the same as you and I. And now, they have given you the power they have kept guarded, as I already have. You hold all the might of the planet Gojira, you alone will inherit the planet in our passing. We have never been more than allies of convenient purpose in life, but I wish you luck. Please, save what remains of this world, Gojira, King of Monsters."

With the closest thing to a smile a moth can have, Mothra vanished in a cloud of golden spores, and the darkness faded. Godzilla stood once again in the rain, looking up at the writhing form of Ghidorah so far away. Closing his eyes, he gave a final thought to Mothra, his oldest ally and most prolific foe. She'd been a pain in his ass for most of his lives, but she'd saved him in the end, and he respected her in a certain manner. Bending his legs as he prepared to attack, he gazed up at the monster on the Moon, and heard an insectoid call.

"Goodbye Mothra. I promise not to _disappoint_!"

The white armour warped, becoming fully black. The wings on his back folded inwards, changing into silver spines flecked with blue. The blazing blade on his tail vanished, and the armour streamlined. The power was now his, shaped by his will, and it was in this form, his own, that he would tear a god from the heavens and kill it with his own hands. He jumped, and slammed into the moon at the speed of light.

xxxx

Ozaki gunned the engines at full speed, the fighter moving so fast it would have killed anyone who wasn't a mutant. There was no other way he could hope to make it in time. He'd seen the huge monster fly into the sky, watched it blast the earth to ruin, watched something pick it up and blast it into the sky, and as he closed on the giant orb that was the enemies ship, he saw a streak of light fire up from the blackened earth and follow it to the moon. He didn't have time to think about that, he had to get to the girl and rescue her before Gordon blew the ship out of the sky with the Godslayer.

He pulled himself around in a maneuver that would have torn the old dogfighters apart, up and around to where her signal was. The fighter came upon a blown open window, and he sailed inside, fighting the wind and the poor atmosphere up here. He landed the ship on the far end of the room, jumped out, and dashed over to where the girl sat meditating, dried blood crusting on the front of her robes.

"Miss Padma, are you alright." Ozaki said, bending down to examine her.

"I'm fine commander, don't worry. We should go, we've done our part." She said softly as she rose and started towards the fighter.

"You're wounded, you shouldn't be walking."

"It's alright. I may bleed, but I promise I won't die. We should hurry, we don't want to be here any longer."

xxxx

Godzilla landed before the tremendous monster, gazing up at it with a grim smile. For all his work, he'd just melted scales on its front. A good amount of them to be sure, but it didn't even look like he'd drawn blood. This thing was tougher than he was, and that wasn't a compliment. So he reared back, looked it straight in the lake-sized eyes, and roared despite the lack of oxygen. The monster looked down at him, raised on massive spiked foreleg, and stepped on him. Godzilla reappeared above it, unleashing a blast of blue from his mouth that struck Ghidorah in the chest, but it didn't even seem to notice. His anger grew, and the beams turned red, the spiral blasts blazing bright as they burned into the golden scales. The wings spread wide and unleashed a storm of gravity bolts at him, homing in with frightening accuracy and knocking him from the sky and back to the gray ground. He rolled himself back up, dug his feet into the ground, and through his arms forward, forcing boulders from the ground and at the dragon. Ghidorah simply whipped its tail at him, digging through the ground and flicking Godzilla back out into space. Roaring its cackling screech, Ghidorah unleashed a massive golden bolt from its main mouth, blasting Godzilla further out into the stars with every second.

He recovered, wings forming a shield over his front and letting the blast flow over him and out into the void. He launched himself forward at a fraction of the speed of light, tackling the significantly larger dragon hard enough to force it to rear back. With a screech, it came down on him and stomped him into the moon. Ghidorah reared back again, stomping down on him again and again.

"You are mighty, but you are nothing before Ghidorah! You have not the strength!"*Stomp*"You have not the will!"*Stomp, stomp*"Not the conviction!"*Stompstompstomp*"No reason! No _ability! No hope!_" *Stompstomp_stompstompstomp_*"No!No!_NO!NO!__**NOT!AT!AAAAAALL!**_"

Ghidorah brought down its legs with such force that the moon cracked along its entirety, drifting outwards and crumbling away. As it tore itself apart, a blue light glowed brilliantly beneath the demons ma moth claws, and it literally pulled the moon back together before exploding outwards in a corona so massive it seemed to swallow the entire moon. Ghidorah was blasted off into space, and where it had crushed the moon stood a pillar of blue fire, forming high above the ground into a massive dragon with the face of Godzilla. The dragon fired outwards and smashed into Ghidorah, blasting it back in an explosion akin to a supernova. At the center of the dragon's head was Godzilla, who slammed his fist into Ghidorah's chest and sent him reeling.

"Why do all of you bastards talk so much!?" He roared, slamming another fist into the dragon's gut. "I am sick and tired of you pompous shits going on and on about how powerful you are!" *SLAM* "Just shut up and _fight_ dammit!"

Ghidorah recovered, roaring and slamming Godzilla way with its head, before unleashing a blast of crystal that froze Godzilla in place.

"You think you know might!? I am Ghidorah, those who feast on the light of stars, those that feast on a billion worlds! All that you have done is meaningless! We are immortal! Every one of us 'killed' is simply waiting to be revived. Let it take a thousand years, ten thousand, a million! In the end, Ghidorah shall live, and this world shall be smote to _ruin_! You are nothing, Godzilla, and you! _Shall! DIE!_"

Rearing its head back, the thousand heads along its neck swarmed, spreading outwards in a massive web of flesh and blood-red eyes. The formed a circle of impossible shapes, like a great tree of infinite roots, and as one, unleashed bolts of gold and red outwards. The bolts all flowed inwards, flowing into the primary mouth, the wings spreading and adding more streams of gold to it. An orb of light formed in its mouth, blazing brighter than the stars, and as it fired, the straight line of golden white speared through space and impacted Godzilla. The explosive wave was felt on the far side of earth, all night blasted away to give birth to a burning day. The light burned endlessly, a line cutting through the darkness like a blade and impacting a single, unmoving point. It warped space to that single point, an overwhelming power enough to burn a planet down to its very core, a solar flare focused down to a single point. The beam of pure gravitational power condensed heat to the point of the core of a star, and fired it at a significant percentage of the speed of light at its target. And at the moment, that target was Godzilla.

And with a roar that was soundless in the vacuum, the beam began to be pushed back. Slowly, very slowly, but inexorably, the beam was forced back, the dazzling point of impact moving towards Ghidorah without pause. At its center was Godzilla, and with all his power he forced it back. He was beyond anger, beyond pride, beyond pain. Now, he just wanted Ghidorah dead.

"I am not Godzilla! I am not some worthless _human_ title! I am not some worthless name! I am Will! I am Force! I am Pride! I am the **King of the Monsters, and you can just shut up and ****_die_****!**"

Godzilla's body burned from the inside out as waves of red fire exploded from his spines into a massive blaze. The armour sank into his flesh, and the black hide became visible, light churning beneath the skin as his internal nuclear reactor went into overdrive, light spilling outwards in a blazing violet inferno that outshone even that blaze of Ghidorah. Streaks of light gathered from tens of thousands of kilometers, from beyond the earth and the moon, down to the single point of Godzilla's maw. It exploded outwards in a beam so powerful that it tore Ghidorah's apart in an instant, cut through the gold in a warping wave that cracked reality itself, and impacted the golden dragon head on. The golden scales offered resistance for a moment, tough as the matter of a neutron star. Then they failed, the beam lanced through, and it fired from Ghidorah's back and shot through space at speeds exceeding light, vanishing into the either beyond. The dragon writhed, a hole bored clean through it, but still it did not die. Godzilla was there, gripping it by the neck, and pulled it down from the heavens and back to the earth, roaring above even the flames of reentry as they smashed into the ocean. The waves rose up a hundred kilometers high, spreading outward in a tsunami that would wash away the surface of the world. Then they simply fell down and vanished, brought low by the powers of a god.

Godzilla stood atop the shattered ruin that was Ghidorah, scales cracked for as far as he could see, the thousand heads still, the single great neck stretching far away before curving back to look at him. The Prime Ghidorah stared at him with eyes like time itself, and then the impossible happened, something that left even Godzilla stunned.

It laughed. A pained, hacking thing, but it was still laughter.

"And so, I am defeated. You are indeed a King little god, and I am pleased to have fought you."

Just like that, it picked its head up and cackled to the heavens, and as Godzilla followed its gaze, the sky split apart like something breaching the waves, and massive head came through, followed by another, and then another. They circled the moon, some landing on it, others floating in circles between it and the Earth, one looking down at the little blue ball. Prime Ghidorahs, several dozen of them, all looking at their fallen kin with amused faces.

"So, awake at last and already you have fallen." Spoke one of them, cackling at the fallen one. "Is this one to be ours, Kradoram?"

"No, this one has proven my better." The fallen Ghidorah looked at Godzilla, and for the second time, stunned him speechless.

It raised its massive head, crown of horns sparkling, and bowed.

"A King you are indeed, and so I name you mine. All Ghidorah of my flesh now bow to you, o King, until the stars are dark and gone."

Godzilla just stared as the beast rose up, he himself picked up in a wave of gravity and set in the water. The Ghidorah rose up, and thousands of those that had swarmed the earth came about it like a swarm of flies, vanishing into the darkness of space. The Ghidorah all gave cackling cries that sounded oh so amused, and one by one, faded out of sight into the infinite nothing.


	29. Chapter 28

1,443,446,925 Dead  
1,430,209,514 Civilian  
13,237,411 Military  
12,648,246 Missing

$145,547,996,134,248 In damages.

78% of the worlds military assets destroyed.  
86.6% of total military personnel deceased.

9% of the Earth's surface destroyed.  
78,169 animal species extinct. 4,252 species of plant extinct.

Numbers were a funny thing. Most people couldn't really grasp what they meant. If a million was a statistic, what was a billion? For those who lived through a crisis like this, it was understood through absence. The world humanity knew was gone, wiped from the face of the earth save a few untouched spots. Cities wiped clear or simply empty, monuments both natural and man-made destroyed, even methods of worldwide communication were gone with the satellite network broken. This was the world humanity found waiting for it after the Ghidoran invasion. If the birth of Godzilla was the worst disaster since WW2, this was a disaster greater than all others throughout history combined. Humanity had lost so much.

Russia's military was gone. Africa was devastated, desert glassed and grass planes burnt to dust. America had lost 67% of its military bases and over 16 major cities were nothing but rubble. Ireland had been blackened, those that survived forced to abandon the Emerald Isle. Greenland, Iceland, Canada, all suffered horribly. China was all but gone, the Himalayan mountains replaced with a great scar. Japan was a ruin. No place, from pole to pole to every island, was left unaffected. The world of old was gone forever, physically as well as spiritually.

But for all the catastrophe, it could have been, should have been, so much worse. Natural disasters that should have sprung up simply didn't. The immense clouds of dust in the atmosphere that should have ruined weather the world over and plunged it into another Ice Age simply fell to Earth, covering the ruined mountains and sealing up the cracks the final battle had left on the world. Nuclear power-plants that had been breached simply lost all radiation, storms that should have resulted from the changed landscape, didn't. Even the alien monsters simply stopped fighting, turned, and vanished from the earth. No one ever knew why.

But humanity remained. Humanity rebuilt, recovered, repopulated. Humanity lived on.

The great swell of monsters was over, the Earth no longer making an army of guardians to stave off destruction. One or two would show up every year, normal mutations or awakened creatures, or else those that survived the great destruction in hiding. But for all intents and purposes, the world of monsters was at an end. At least, that's what humanity told itself. They needed to believe it was finally over.

Because otherwise, the cost was simply to great to bear.

xxxx

Godzilla sniffed at the body, blood still warm as the heart had just ceased beating. He nudged it, willing the figure to get up. Nick just lay there, unmoving and silent. His body was intact, but his mind was silent. Godzilla willed him to rise, to see the victory they'd made, but his father didn't listen. He curled up next to his parent's body and remained, waiting for a moment that never came. The rain had lasted since the Ghidorahs fled, and it stayed then as if to mark the damaged world.

Godzilla roared towards the heaven in anguish unparalleled, and through the rain, anyone who saw would think they saw the monster cry.

xxxx

The funeral for Nick Tatopoulus was small, just one of countless others all over the world. Nor was he the only one being mourned. Monique Dupre had died during the defense of Paris, and was being honored along with Nick. The tired old pier had never seemed so quite. A few words were said, by the remaining 4 members of H.E.A.T, Nick's son John, and Colonel Hicks, who had personally flown from Monster Island to see his old friend off. Godzilla watched with strange silence until Nick was buried in Central Park, under a growing monument to the dead.

The mutation vanished from his lair later that day.

xxxx

Lucius Montague sat in a chair at his house at the beach, a rather large place for his services. It didn't really matter though. He'd hated being forced to pilot that stupid thing, but it was apparently all that saved his life. When the dragons came, they tore his more serious looking allies apart, and only decapitated his Mecha-Baz as if it were an insect not worth squashing further. That was why, out of all 12 Praetor "Kaiju Killers," he was the only one still alive. He took another swig of whiskey, spat it out in disgust, and then kept drinking. That stupid machine was the only reason he was alive.

He wasn't so sure he wanted that right now.

xxxx

Sam sat silently in the back of a helicopter as it flew him to his next location. With the chaos of the world, a few old drug cartels and reemerged and were training to take over Mexico, so everyone who could be considered law enforcement was being called in. He didn't think of himself as a hero, but he never could stand those things, and so was more than happy to join in.

The Jetstream had been too heavily damaged for repairs, so for now at least he was out of a job. Apparently a laser sword to the chest wasn't good for the operating systems, but he'd won, and that's all that mattered to him. He gripped his sword with his left hand, more than ready to kill the bastards who were taking advantage of the world in a state of such disarray. He hoped that he could afford some prosthetics after this. He never was as good with his left.

xxxx

Sir Reginald L. Micheal's stood at the front of the ceremony, doing his best to keep his grief from showing. The Knights had done their duty. Through their sacrifice, not a single step had been taken into Britain, and the Ghidorahs had been held at bay. Of their 20 members, 3 survived. He had never known a group of braver men in all his days. Sir Callahan had died with sword piercing the heart of a dragon, surrounded on all sides by fire and gnashing jaws, like a true knight of old. The Gawain had captured the picture of his final stand, and it was being used to motivate the country towards recovery.

The service was splendid, the choir magnificent, the arrangement of flowers and men in uniform picture perfect. No men could have asked for a finer burial. They had been awarded every accommodation that could reasonably given, and even had a new medal granted for defending not only Queen and Country, but the world itself. The Blade of Humanity was a heavy thing, weighing down their lapels, but he didn't care. It was a suitable burden of survival.

xxxx

Alaska was surprisingly untouched. It had been far enough out of the way, sparsely populated, and well defended enough to survive most of the chaos. Anchorage had been left almost totally intact, and while Fortitude military base was all but gone, the three Wolf fortress-class vessels had survived.

Occasionally, sightings would come in of three reptilian mutations wandering the wastes. No confirmation could ever be made as to their identities as unknown problems always befouled any equipment. Still, eye-witness sightings would often claim that, during a heavy storm, one could see the largest one standing on its hind legs and looking up into the sky, circled by the other two. No one ever could explain why.

xxxx

Gordon was done. He'd been in the JSDF for most of his life, had saved the Earth a hundred times, and been a hero ten times that number. He had seen it all, done it all, and every human on Earth knew his name. And now, he had done and seen enough. 3 months after the invasion, Gordon resigned as admiral, after making his final order to decommission the Susanoo permanently. So much power didn't belong to anyone, at least not while the world needed healing. He retired to the tiny home along the coast he hadn't lived in for 30 years.

Gordon had been a hard man who could do anything, face any foe, take up any challenge. A lifetime of that had finally broken him. He was done, just an old man who'd been alive far too long while so many young men and women gave their lives instead. Gordon didn't die like some great hero, defending the world from giant monsters or alien threats.

He spent the last 3 years of his life in declining health from the wounds he'd taken from the Ghidorah-mutant, and the last 5 months were spent in a hospital bed, IV in his arm. On January 4th, 2032, Douglas M. Gordon passed away at the age of 88.

The funeral was attended by those 47 men and woman who had survived aboard the Susanoo, the remaining 14 members of M-Unit, Ozaki included, and what few old JSDF command remained to see their old friend off.

xxxx

Godzilla had returned to the world he'd been gone from for so long the same way he had come into it to begin with. He'd risen from Tokyo Bay and trudged his way into the city, making his way to where the massive human machine floated above the remains of the city. Underneath it was a beast he recognized, and as he came to stand before it, he realized with a smirk that he was looking up at it this time. The other creature the humans had named Godzilla stood like he did, nearly twice as tall as he was, and looked at him with intelligent eyes. Something in his appearance seemed to click in its head, and it pressed something on one ear, shrinking down in a flash of light. He'd watched it sniff the human, sensed the man die, and watched the proud beast lose its fire.

He had fixed the world, undone the damages and prevent worse from happening, stopped the attacking monsters and made them peaceful, and the humans never seemed to realize it. He had, for the hundredth time, prevented their destruction, and they never seemed to care. But they no longer attacked him, no longer sent weapons to kill him or scientists to study him. The humans had lost their hatred of him, and had finally decided to leave him be.

For the first time in all his lives, Godzilla had what he desired: he was left alone. His foes were all gone. His allies were all gone. He was finally alone. He sat on the ocean floor on a peak of sand, the only light the soft blue glow coming from his own body. He had nothing now. Nothing to fight, nothing to hate, nothing to watch over or care for. He was a god, a king, invincible and master of the world. But the world didn't seem to care for him any longer, invincible with nothing to fight, a god without worshipers.

He was a king without a kingdom to rule. It was lonely at the top.

A soft wail filled the darkness, and he raised his head up to see something staring at him out of the darkness. He increased his personal light, to reveal something many times his size, all black flesh and tentacles and yellow eyes, a thing that could only be described using words or emotions Godzilla didn't know or feel. It looked at him with eyes far older than his, and he could sense others waiting in the blackness. Something huge floated above him, like a great skull of warped flesh and writhing form, not just the tentacles but the skin itself. Yet another creature that made him seem tiny floated down from the blackness, and it reached into his mind.

_Dogolas serve_

He picked himself up and gazed out at the throngs of horrors, and smiled. Looks like he'd found his kingdom.

xxxx

Musashi Himura put the final touches on the last page of his book, and closed it with a sigh. He wasn't sure what had compelled him to become an author, maybe his obsessive capturing of every detail? But it didn't matter, he was done, and that's all that mattered. He was done just in time to go watch the launch.

It had been 20 years since he'd joined the JSDF, 4 since he'd quite. 19 years since that day. Humanity was still recovering a little, but as it was, they had really come a long way. He was glad to have seen so much in his life, though most of it he could have done without truth be told. But you couldn't change the past, just work towards a better future.

After the invasion, Suzaku had used his remaining resources to launch humanitarian aid for the damaged places all over the world, rising through the ranks of the JSDF until he came to lead their research department. He'd married Mara the day after it was all over, apparently he hadn't felt like risking waiting on a family in case anything else should happen. With her home gone, it was merciful as well as kind. Himura often joked that their kids would rule the world some day. He wasn't always sure he was joking either. Dolph and Emily still worked in the GMPO, more or less running the now fully international organization dedicated to both preserving what few monsters remained, and helping people recover from any and all monster related incidents.

He himself was now married to a wonderful woman named Momoko, who'd been working in the JSDF at the time of the invasion and had been one of those aboard the Susanoo. A victory kiss and had turned a tad more intimate, and here they were now with a beautiful little girl and expecting another to be there shortly. As he stood up from his desk and stretch, his wife called to him from the other room.

"Hurry dear, you don't want to miss the launch!"

"Just finishing up now, I'll be there in a second!" He called, placing his pen down and heading for the door. His metal leg squeaked a little as he went, he would have to lubricate it after the launch was over. The 1st of the Admiral Gordon dreadnaught-class spaceships was going up today, and it was worth being outside to see humanities first interstellar craft. All that leftover alien technology had done wonders for colonization and FTL projects. He pitied the people on the Moon who would only get to see a tiny streak as it passed on its way to Mars. Still, this was what being a scientist was all about. Those antimatter engines worked wonders.

He looked back at his book, gave a smile at all the memories written down, and closed the door.

_When Man seeks power, he faces nature. When he seeks to rule the world, the world finds means to put man in his place. When he rises up against nature, creating great monuments to his power, nature breaks them, with hurricane and earthquake and flood. When Man grows in numbers beyond counting, nature sends plague, disease, infection. When man conquers the land, nature ceases sustaining his food, starving him. Even as he attempts to escape nature, it grips him, creating violence over its resources, causing conflict, hatred. _

_War._

_Man is ever in the grip of nature. He can never escape it. And when man seeks to rule nature, with science and intellect, when he seeks to control reality, he is brought to face it. When man seeks power, he faces that power._

_And nature is not kind._

_But nature is not wholly without mercy. For all its children, nature finds a place in the grand scheme of things for them, and man's will ever be to advance. When man builds, nature knows. When man protects, nature rewards. And when man heads for the stars, nature watches as he leaves. Man must always know that there are things beyond him, waiting should he stumble, to destroy him as he falls. But man will always pick himself back up again, rebuild, renew, start again._

_For now at last the Age of Monsters is ended, and the Age of Humanity can begin._

* * *

Well, that's it. I already have something else well in the works, but am currently suffering some writers block most severe, so no idea how long until it comes. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the story, I do hope you enjoyed it.


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